The Linder Legacy
by MotherHeninFlorida
Summary: Dystopian future meets Steampunk. Inspired by "A Steampunk's Guide to the Apocalypse."
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"... and to my current third wife - namely Leeda Harper Linder - I leave you your freedom to return to your home town. You and I were a necessary inconvenience, death has finally freed us both. Go with my blessings. You may take the mule you call Nanny for your own steed and food sufficient to your needs equal to the number of months that we were married, namely eleven. The ring you received on our wedding day must be returned to the Linder coffers but in its place you are to receive one plain gold band as a token of our marriage, three plain circles of silver, five of copper, and twelve of brass to sell for your personal needs. I grant you the clothes in your clothespress and linens from the Hall's inventory sufficient to start your own household. I also free you from full mourning so that you may seek a new match at your town's Autumn Meeting should that be your desire."

There were other words spoken after those but they were not meant for me. The few words my husband did leave for me were resented by his first two wives Ceena and Tonya. The truth is they resented having to share his death with me nearly as much as they had resented having to share his life.

Share ... hah, as if The Linder had ever really had time for me. In eleven months he'd only bed me twice and one of those was my wedding night; the other was given to me in a fit of pity after a drunken night when he finally witnessed and accepted my lot in life in his household. And didn't Ceena and Tonya sweat long and hard wondering if I would catch a babe from that night. Both had been trying for years - with a few successes only to lose the children to illness or accident - and were proud to still be of childbearing years though reaching the end of them no matter the potions and notions they daily sought to remain young. But no, God chose not to bless me from either visit and the two of them were surely relieved and not even bothering to hide the fact.

Both still being handsome enough I believe they, after overhearing them conspire, look to catch the eye of The Linder's heir. They have no desire to be relegated to a secondary position in the household they've ruled for so long.

I've heard the new Guardian - who will be called The Linder like his predecessors before him - is a widower and not unwilling to marry again despite already having heirs of his own. It matters not to me one bit. I have Nanny and some supplies and I am going home ... or to what once was my home. I have a letter from Nat. He has become the assistant to the village church Elders and he says I can have the small cabin that once belonged to my grandparents. Mr. Tosh, the Linderhall manager, said there is a small wagon I can have as well to transport my belongings and my portion but no outrider can be spared as the Hall must be made ready for the new Guardian's arrival.

I care not. I am leaving at first light. There is no longer any reason for me to stay. There was barely any reason for me to come here in the first place.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"It's been over six months now Leeda. Give up your darks," Nat said for about the tenth time that day.

"And replace them with what?" I asked trying to show unconcern and some cheerfulness.

We both walked in the woods gathering wild rose hips, me for my use over the coming winter and him for the church apothecary.

"Had I coin I would buy you a proper wardrobe."

"Nat, don't. You're my cousin, not my keeper. Besides, what of your vow of poverty? Do you honestly think I would see you break it when your service means such so much to you and others? Stop worrying it to death. You've done all in your power for me but there are simply some things that cannot be put back the way they once were."

"It hurts my heart to see you ignored and tossed aside; to see you so careworn where once you were so young and happy. You should be doing the same things all the other young girls are doing. The Meeting is next week. I know you could not go to the last one because you had just started your period of mourning but you should go this time."

Spying another shrub full of the bright orange hips I pointed them out and then told Nat, "I might be young - after all not even the Elders go so far as to call me old at sixteen summers - but a girl I am never to be again. I'm a widow and must behave accordingly or risk censure and well you know it."

"Bah!"

"Hah! Fine thing for a village Brother to say."

"And I'll say it again. Bah! A wife at fourteen, a widow at fifteen, and forever alone at sixteen? Your parents would have never stood for it. And it never should have happened."

"But they weren't here. They're in Heaven and that is too good a place for me to wish them out of and back into the sorrows of this life. As for what should have happened and what did? Does it really make a difference anymore? I must deal in what is, not in the coin of might have beens that have no profit."

"And what is, is that you are barely sixteen. The old Guardian bid you only live in half mourning and the time has come for you to give up your widow's wear and find you another husband ... one that will give you a home and children to care for. The old fart couldn't even do that for you as a balm. You wouldn't have been sent packing if you'd given him a child, even had it been a girl."

Nat didn't mean to hurt me, he was simply a practical man and bent on seeing me fixed before he left to go to training at the Regional Seminary.

"Nat, be at peace. I am. I had to give up all the silly dreams of girlhood long enough ago that I barely remember what it was like to have them. Besides, can you hear the talk that would be should I simply show up at the Meeting without a sponsor and advertise myself like Farmer Bryant's cat when she's in heat?"

"Leeda!" Nat gasped, shocked at my words.

"Well? Can you? " I laughed to cover the embarrassment of speaking of the realities of my place." I barely have a reputation now. Were I to go to the Meeting and fail to find someone to take me on I'd have no reputation at all. You know many already think I'm cursed or a witch or some other nonsense. And now with this bloody status hanging over my head most men wouldn't even try to approach me. The situation remains the same as it did before I was sent to Linderhall ... I have no family beyond you, no connections, no portion, and no dower. A widow to a high man I am but all that does is place me higher at a parade table ... it gives me no great coin to add to a man's coffers."

Nat was silent as he knew the truth and we finished our foraging with the discussion finally closed. Poor Nat. He still felt guilty for having to be the one to explain things to me. Contrary to what I'd told him my memory of the way things used to be is quite sharp ... certainly sharper than those that would prefer the past to stay in the past.

The day had been a beautiful one, at least in appearance. Wildflowers filled the spoiled areas along the roads and heavily travelled paths, and everything was fresh and green, fully awake again after a long, hard winter. I had finished my studies for the day and was in fine spirits having gotten a glowing report from the Headmaster and Headmistress both. I ran along a familiar trail to share my good news with the young man I loved with all my heart ... Rom Waverly.

Rom was the golden boy and youngest son of the mayor of our town. We'd been close our whole lives and it hadn't even ended after my father - the head Woodsman of Harper - as well as the rest of my family had succumbed to a plague that ripped through this part of our region. Rom and I both made assumptions that perhaps we shouldn't have but life had never truly led either one of us to think we could not have what we wanted so long as we worked for it and it would hurt no one else.

I was turned away within sight of the Mayor's house - once long ago occupied by my own ancestors - by the Mayoral Guard but thought little of it thinking that the Mayor had unexpected and important guests. It's not like it hadn't happened before. Disappointed but knowing I still had work to do of my own I turned towards the cabin I shared with my only living relative, my cousin Nat Harper. I was surprised to find him sitting in the dooryard waiting for me as usually he was still at church that time of day.

After our greeting he told me to come inside, that he had important matters he needed to discuss with me. He was fifteen minutes convincing me he wasn't playing a cruel joke and another fifteen calming me down enough so that he could finish what needed saying.

"Leeda, I hate this. You should have a woman to explain this all to you. God have mercy, why did this cup have to be set before either one of us?"

"Nat ... why? Why does it have to be like this?" I cried, heartbroken.

"Come and sit Cousin and I'll try and explain things. Would that we had a Sister here to at least try and ..." He shook his head and sat me at the wooden table that still had the teeth marks my oldest brother had left in it when he'd teethed his first couple of pearlies. "Leeda, you know a match between you and Rom was always ... well ... unlikely. I'd hoped you'd come to outgrow your infatuation before something like this happened."

"Not true," I denied hotly. "Rom said his father spoke well of me and of our family."

"And well he should. A mayor speaking poorly of a girl can destroy her cause as surely as he can raise her status with a good word. Our family's reputation is good and we are free of any corruption in our birth records ... few enough can say that. On top of that you are a fine girl with fine talents. But, be honest, you have no portion ... no dower ... no ... no influence to use to get you what you seek."

Resenting what I saw as an injustice I said, "I may not have a dower or portion but I'm not completely useless. I am near triple certified in homekeeping at the women's college. No one my age has ever succeeded at such. Even Rom's mother, who was the youngest to ever attain a triple, was well into her 20th summer, married, and carrying her second child when she got hers."

"True, and had you your triple and a position at the Mission or some other likely place, you might be able to overcome your lack of dower and all the rest. But ... but you don't Leeda. Smart you may be though not all men want such in their household. And strong and a hard worker you surely are. The problem is that Rom's father is too ambitious and has been set on forming an alliance with Beauville for a long time, the same as his father before him. The death of Fan's brother is what has pushed her father - who you know is the Mayor of Beauville and a wealthy man in his own right - to agree to the alliance. With no sons the man is worried that The Linder will appoint a new Mayor; or even take Fan for his own and pull Beauville completely under his influence and claim there is no longer a need for a mayor at all. The Beaumont family is near as old as ours and have become nearly as thin in number. It seems inevitable that the Mayors' Council would do all in their power to keep the independent towns out from under the direct control of The Linder."

I remember not wanting to hear the truth but being too practical and honest to deny it. Still I fought the losing battle. "Rom loves me. He told me so. The only reason he hasn't asked his parents before now to officially accept a bond between us is because he is only 16. He has three years yet of battle training before he should even be thinking of a marriage contract."

Shaking his head Nat informed me, "Well, that's all changed and with the Mayor Council's blessing regardless of the normal rules of progression. His father has revoked his admission to the university and told him that he can train with the fighters of Harper as well as he can train someplace else. He is to marry Fan in the morning and that is all there is to it for either of you."

"In the morning?!" I asked horrified at the suddenness of it all. Knowing everyone would be expected to attend such an important event I said, "I ... I ... I won't go! I can't watch. I won't and no one can make me. I'll ... I'll die of a broken heart right there in the church."

That's when I saw Nat wince and knew there was something else. Although looking back I'm also sure it was in response to my overdramatic and emotional declaration.

"Leeda, you won't have to watch. You ... you won't be here."

"What do you mean? Have I done something wrong? Are you sending me away? Am I losing my home as well as everything else? Has someone said that I've been bad and that's why all this is taking place this way?"

He shook his head. "Easy Leeda. At least take a breath between questions. And the answer is no. I think you are too young for what is and what will transpire. But it has been taken out of my hands."

Becoming frightened I asked, "What has been taken from your hands?"

"Leeda ... you ... you are going to Linderhall."

"Ex ... excuse me?" I asked. Linderhall, the seat of power in our region, the home of the Guardian, those people once called Governors before the Days of Destruction. It spoke of something going on far above my place.

Carefully Nat explained, "The Linder found out about the plan for the alliance and demands a high tribute for his office not being asked permission first. And old he may be, he and his house can still make trouble by refusing to buy our grains or by pulling his men from duty along our outer borders. So worried that their plans might come to naught, the houses of Waverly and Beaumont are gathering several wagon loads of goods to clinch the deal and garner The Linder's peace and agreement. You, as the last female Harper, are their final bargaining chip to sweeten the deal and will be going to ... going to his bed." Before my bleat of outrage could turn into anything else Nat said, "It will be a marriage, I was at least able to secure that much, but ..."

Horrified I gasped, "There has to be a mistake. The Linder is already married Nat. I saw her when she rode with him during the last parade."

"He's currently married to not one, but two women. The second, though from a different town, is a half-sister to the first. You will be a third wife. I know it is not practiced in most of our region but you know the history ... the Guardians sometime have more than one wife to bring assets or power or alliances to the Hall and the region they govern. The Linder has been married many times but only two remain alive, the others are either gone from childbirth or disease. And why am I explaining this part? Surely at the women's college you've been taught the histories and genealogies."

I did know it unfortunately. It is just in school such things always seemed so far away and of no import to the life I expected to have.

I cried a little more and Nat let me but I stopped myself before he had to. I finally thought to ask, "Why is Rom going along with this? Has he not fought for me at all? He said he loved me. He said ... many things."

Cautiously Nat asked, "You and Rom have not ... not ..."

Blushing furiously I told Nat, "No. And Rom never tried to force me either. Neither of us are sullied thank you very much."

He relaxed. "Good. And I'm sorry for ... for asking Leeda. It's just ... you are so young but have so ... so much time to ... to order your own life. Not everyone has thought it proper."

I sighed. "I know. That's one of the reasons why Sister Evelyn always told me I'd have to be even more careful than other girls my age. But none of that explains why Rom ... why he ..." I shook my head. Showing my age I spat, "And Fan is old."

Nat snorted though not unkindly. "I know you are hurt Leeda but do not exaggerate to make yourself feel somehow justified. Fan is not old, she's barely twenty-five. Granted that's older than most wait for marriage but her father gave her the luxury to find her own match and her betrothed was off fighting on the borderlands when he met his death two months back. This is the third one that she's lost to a savage's arrow and that's yet another reason why Rom will be kept away from the fighting."

"That's still much older than Rom."

"Aye, she is, but that might not be such a bad thing. I swear the chucklehead's mother still chooses his underpants for him."

Still willing to defend my young love I snapped, "Nat! That's not true!"

Only slightly apologetically Nat said, "Well maybe not in full, but she certainly makes sure that everything he chooses meets with her approval. I think the reason why she never really objected to you is because she saw herself in your shoes. I bet she thought that the reason why Rom was so attached to you is because of your schooling aligning so much with her own and that you and she share similar looks ... I forget the begats but her family and ours have intermarried more than once since the Days of Destruction."

I wouldn't acknowledge it openly but I knew on some level that what he said was true.

"Nat," I said quietly. "The Linder is ... he's old. Very old. He should be a grandfather many times over by his years. I ... I don't ... don't want ..."

"I know Leeda. I know," he said sorrowfully at my shudder.

But there was nothing he could do. I rode away the next morning under heavy guard ... meant more for the goods contained in the wagons than for me ... and my life has never been the same since.

I won't go over the days that came and went except to say that there was a brief moment in time when the view from the top of Linderhall's tallest tower became too beautiful to my eyes and heart and I wondered too hard and too often what it would be like to fly from its height. The Housekeeper who was called Mizz Marta, and some distant relation to the Linder family, for reasons of her own took an interest in me and kept me away from the tower until my thoughts on flying subsided. Nothing direct was ever said but I admit in my heart I owe her my life and will forever more.

She also helped me to find my rudder. I may have had no favor with my sister wives, nor my husband, nor any in their social sphere, but I certainly found a place in that area called Below Stairs where those that worked for the Guardian and for the upkeep of the Hall, plied their trades. Had I not ... but I did and it gave me reason to carry on. I also found a mentor in Mizz Marta who, in addition to a fine housekeeper, was both a yarb woman and a midwife with years of training and experience. My life may have changed, my dreams crushed, but I still have my talents and no one but God himself can take those from me.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

And then The Linder - who had suffered from stomach troubles since a child - became ill. Most in the house thought it to be an episode like all the others that would then subside. But not this time. The illness became a canker and the canker a rot that spread outward from deep inside him. The wisest doctors from the University and then from the Seminary were fetched to heal him but to no avail. It is well he finished his will when he did because that night he started having seizures that took his mind and two days later his life.

I had not been a wife a full turn of the seasons, had barely been one during the turning, and then like a bolt from a clear sky I was a widow who had been freed to return to the home she had been forced to leave. Some returning.

My arrival in Harper was not met with much enthusiasm. If any emotion could be attached to it at all it was pity, and only after resentment had been expressed. No one wanted me there. For the young I was proof that happy endings do not always come. For others it was that I reminded them how easily their lives could be ordered away from the way they would have it go. For still others I reminded them of things they would rather not remember or know.

The friends my age I'd thought I'd once had, I no longer had anything in common with. Those that might have been inclined to speak with me were kept away by their mothers and other female relatives who thought I would impart knowledge it was not time for them to know. My friends at the college were all gone to positions or marriages of their own and were too busy or uncomfortable to bare me company. Like others felt for me, I felt too uncomfortable around them, and resented their pity so I willingly kept to myself rather than suffer through forced interactions painful for all involved. I could have felt sorry for myself but I didn't. That almost-year of marriage may have stripped me of my girlhood but it gave me something as well ... a strong backbone and a nature not easily cowed.

Because in addition to all of the other difficulties there was also the problem that my position in the community now raised my status. It was higher than the mayor's wife but because of how it happened and my age I was never invited to share their table at functions that I normally would have attended. Not that I would have gone if there was any way out of such an invitation if offered. My heart had healed from its brokenness and I saw clearly how immature both Rom and I had been back then ... we were nothing but children only playing at adult games. But my pride? That was a different organ and there were moments when the wound was as raw as if it had been made the same day.

Nat was my only regular companion and he was kept busy by his own position in the church and then in preparation for going away for more training in reading the old manuscripts and caring for them so that the townspeople could still view them and learn from them. Some towns had locked all of their old books and papers away but not Harper. It was forbidden by town charter and as such took a lot of care by the Order of brothers to which Nat belonged.

Nat worries. Perhaps he has reason, perhaps not. I've done well using my schooling and my larder is full in preparation for a winter alone. At least my training isn't going to waste. Neither is the training I received from Marta but that's brought me a sort of problem I had not expected.

Our region - formally known by the Great Council as Tentuckia - has always been considered one of the more progressive areas. Early on the Guardians of this area set aside land and taxes to build and sustain schools in our land. Each town has its own college that serves those boys and girls that show an aptitude for learning. In some towns only a few make it into the college. In Harper the reverse is true and most children receive at least their first certificate before heading out into an apprenticeship. A triple certificate is as high as you can go before heading off to the regional university. But getting into university is not for everyone. You are expected to work at your chosen line of study. It is best described as an in-depth apprentice-ship for degrees of higher learning ... but if you speak with very many students you are more likely to hear it called slave labor. But the end result allows you to ply your experience in high level trades like medicines and agriculture. There are some arcane studies like for old tech but most that want to study such go to other regions to get that kind of specialization. Tentuckia by and large has more profit in agriculture and natural gas as fuel and frowns on such esoteric things as old tech, though there is some outlay for old mech so long as it proves directly useful rather than hypothetical.

Going to the university had never really played a part in my plans so I wasn't devastated to lose the opportunity. I would have been happy with my triple. I do regret not having the chance to take the exam though. But even had I, my position as the widow of The Linder would have made finding a job impossible. My social status ranks me well above too many potential employers. After all, who wants to have to admit that their housekeeper or cook has more social status than they do?

So I do what I can to put my training to use from my cabin door. But despite Harper offering so many educational opportunities there is a vein of superstition that runs deep in the people here. For instance if you were to ask them outright most would agree that certain plants have certain properties that when used in a certain way will help the body and mind to heal. But some ... well, behind their hands or your back - or even to your face - they'll call it magic or some other type of nonsense. It is as bad as during the Days of Destruction when ignorance ruled the world. There are strong prohibitions against using the old "magics" from those days and if it can't be explained there is usually some legal prohibition against it.

I don't know how many times I've had to prove what I'm doing is allowed by the Regional University. But when people wish to be superstitious and distrustful not even a wax seal from the Dean of the University himself will wake them up from it.

And thus, not only do I have to deal with people's resentment and pity, there is distrust in there as well. And for some reason refusing to charge for my knowledge makes them even more distrustful though that is purely ridiculous. For one, not having my triple much less a university certificate, I cannot by law charge for my services. For two, I wouldn't. It simply feels wrong to me. My two mentors - Sister Evelyn and Mizz Marta - never charged to help other people and neither will I. I do not understand why trading coins for knowledge or help somehow validates it any more than if it is proffered out of charity.

All this means is that in a very real sense I am as poor as my Cousin Nat has chosen to be. On the other hand, I am as rich as my parents ever were.

My parents taught me that coin can't buy everything and can actually keep away some things you might want. My father's position as Head Woodsman gave us some coinage but just enough. Mostly it was mother's way with a garden, and Grandmother's way with farm animals, that filled our bellies. Father and Grandfather hunted but they had to be careful to manage the woods properly so everyone of Harper benefitted which didn't leave a lot of time to devote solely to our family's needs. My brothers filled in where they could but they too acted as Woodsmen. They also spent a lot of time taking the Mayor's friends around on pleasure hunts for the giant wild boar and ornery buffalo that inhabit this area of the region.

"Widow Linder," they whisper at my back door. "My husband's feet ... they stink so bad. I've tried everything. It has gotten so bad I can't even stand to share his bed with him and it is causing problems between us. I'm desperate. Will you help?"

"Widow Linder," another women whispered. "Five children in five years. I need a season off. I feel like an old heifer and my husband won't give me any peace. He says he has needs. Will you help?"

"Widow Linder ... Widow Linder ... Widow Linder ..." As if they hadn't been calling me Young Leeda my whole life. I always wonder if they are calling me Widow as a joke or because they think it will somehow win them favor. Both reasons make me ill. If it wouldn't scandalize Nat and sink me in the hots with the angels I'd swear. They'll come calling at my back door when no one is looking but those same people can't be bothered to admit my existence when I go to church on the Sabbath or the few times I get to town for Market Day.

Nat says their respect is my due since it was my sacrifice that stopped the hand of the Guardian from falling hard. I say I would be just as happy to have it all go away, but it will not happen. The only way to make it go away is if I go away. I am thinking of writing a letter to Sister Evelyn at the hospital where she now practices, explaining things, and telling her I do not care for social status, but only want to go someplace for honest work and honest rewards ... and the biggest reward would be peace of mind and escape.

I haven't told Nat my plan. He has so much to do. He leaves the end of this week. I am making him traveling food to save expenses and to make his first couple of weeks in his new residence easier. I have it to spare and to head off any fuss he might give I have reminded him that I consider it part of my service to see him set off on his own. And that family take care of each other.

And who can be visiting in the heat of the day? And coming to the front door at that?

I looked up as a form blocked both light and breeze from coming in my half door and a male voice asked, "Could you please direct me to the Widow Linder's cabin?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"You've found it," I told the man.

He had an air of authority despite his obvious fatigue. "Then please call her girl. I have important business to discuss and don't have all day to do it in."

I wiped my hands on my apron and sighed. "Sir, I don't know what your important business could possibly be since I know you not but go ahead and get it done."

"It is private. For the Widow's ears alone."

I gave him the look Mizz Marta would give to those who were being silly on purpose and said, "I don't see my ears getting away any time soon for their own privacy so as I said, speak."

The man looked at me and then looked at me more closely ... too closely. "You?! You are the Widow Linder?"

"I'm the only one called such around here. There are two others by that title so perhaps your business is with them; but to reach them you'll need to go to Linderhall."

He shook his head. "I've just come from there."

"Widows Ceena and Tonya were not there?"

Rather than answer directly he asked, "Word has not been brought here?"

"What word? And honestly why would any word from them come to me anyway? Perhaps you are mistaken and you are looking for the Mayor's home."

"No." He stopped and scowled but I got the impression it wasn't directed at me. Slowly and carefully, like one who is wary of jokes, he asked, "Are you truly the Widow Linder? The third wife of the old Guardian?"

"Yes."

"Well ... Marta said I was missing some of the facts but I had no idea ..." Suddenly he remembered his hat and took it off and asked, "May I come in?"

"I would prefer if we took our business in the dooryard if you please."

He nodded in acceptance and then moved aside so I could step out. I pointed to a set of stone benches and there we sat. He seemed unable to find his tongue so I asked, "You know Mizz Marta? Is she well?"

"Recovering. Most of the household is."

"Recovering?" I asked in alarm. "And the rest of the household as well? What has happened?"

"Someone claiming to be a messenger from the Great Council weaseled their way passed the guards. We too late found that the documents he carried for identification were fake. He came from one of the borderlands but we did not find out at whose direction before his death. He carried some kind of plague, intentional or not is unknown."

"An anarchist?" I asked, referring to those that fought against the loose confederation of regions that worked together to deal with lands across the waters. My husband had had trouble with them and cursed about them on a regular basis.

"Possibly."

I stopped to try and order my thoughts. "Does Mizz Marta need my help? I will do anything that I can."

"It is ... more than that. Though I did not believe her at first when she said that you would come. Yet you accept so quickly."

I shrugged. "I owe her my life. Anything I have to give is hers to have."

He crossed his arms and sighed. "Are you certain you know none of this? A rider was sent out more than two weeks ago. He came back saying he delivered his news."

I shrugged again. "I do not go about in town much. Though, it is strange that my cousin did not tell me. Nat would have heard anything that is common knowledge as he is a Brother at the church."

The man shook his head. "The messenger was sent to the Mayor with instructions to get word to you."

Carefully I blanked my face and tried to look pleasant the way that the comportment teacher had taught me to behave when I had to be in public at Linderhall. "I am sure it is merely an oversight or perhaps the rider did not ..."

He shook his head. "It is not your concern to bear. I'll find out the truth of it, for now I have need of speech with you."

"Then speak," I told him hoping he would get to the point whatever it might be.

"You are the widow of my father's cousin."

"If you say so. The genealogies of the Linders were not considered ... they were not considered part of what was necessary for me to know."

Understanding more than I was comfortable with he nodded. "Aye. The old Guardian was called The Linder as most before him were. My father descends through the same line and same name though it was never in his mind that he'd inherit the seat on the Council that his cousin filled. It was with some surprise that we all heard the news and our move from our holdings by necessity was fast and unfortunately disorderly. We were informed only vaguely what we would be stepping into; however, it was expected that Father would have the care of three widows when he took over the job." I saw his distaste but whether it was for caring for three widows, the fact that there were three widows to care for, or for the "job" itself I'm not certain.

"Well obviously he did not. I am sorry if it has caused the new Guardian any problems."

"Humph. The two were enough with their constant quoting of Old Law to make it seem like Father should marry them and put them back where they belonged in status."

I kept my face as pleasant as I could.

"Hmmm. It does not seem a surprise to you. Did you not want to be part of such as scheme?"

"Ceena and Tonya would have ... preferred ... to keep their own counsel on such matters. Perhaps you should speak to them about it."

"Can't. Unless you wish me to dig them up out of the church yard and I doubt they'd tell me much even then."

I felt the blood drain from my face and settle some place down in my slippers. "You did not say ... did the ... the plague ..."

"Aye," he said. "And I apologize for baring the news to you in such a way. I needed to know if you were playing tricks."

"About what? And why would I do ... ?" I shook my head and stood up completely shocked.

"Aye. As I said, you have my apologies." He stood as soon as I did and swore softly beneath his breath speaking of great frustration and no respect for my presence.

I said, "I do not know why you are here but if it was this news to deliver then you've done so. You've done your duty so you may leave."

"Damn, I've handled this like a chucklehead." He paced a bit before asking me to sit down. I did so only reluctantly and he quickly sat as well as if he was worried that I would run off if he did not.

Before he could put voice to his frustration I asked, "How bad was the plague? Were many in the household taken off by the angels?"

"Fewer than should have been thanks to Marta but the damage it did do was more than sufficient. My Father and his Consort, Dwen Lafayette; Widows Ceena and Tonya; the Sheriff; and a few other key understaff."

"The belowstairs?"

"No deaths but many illnesses as they trusted themselves to Marta's potions faster than the above stairs did. It has left the Hall in disarray."

"And right at harvest time."

"Aye, you see it. Marta said you would."

"You mentioned your father's passing. So you are the new Guardian?"

"No, thank all that's holy. My brother is and better suited to the nightmare of it than I would ever be. He thrives on all of the intrigue and politics. And his wife is much the same." He shuddered.

"I'm afraid I still do not know what it is you seek from me." He stood up again and I suddenly realized he reminded me of a military man. "Have you brought your troops with you?"

"What? Has something been said?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea. You simply remind me of the Mayor's Captain when you stood like that. I'm afraid it is my turn to apologize now for speaking out of line."

The man relaxed. "No need. I was a Captain in my father's guard before he became Guardian. My job changed somewhat when he inherited. My brother has a mind to keep me close so as to have an ally ... at least until the line of succession is secured and made peace with." He set his shoulders and then forced himself to sit once again. I wondered if he was beginning to feel like a child's toy with the constant popping up and down. "Widow Linder ... er ... Leeda. May I call you that?"

"Given your status you can call me what you choose."

He sighed. "This isn't going at all like I had planned. I had expected to find a woman not a ..."

I shook my head, the man surely wasn't happy and not the least bit a smooth talker. Trying to hide the irony I told him, "Dispense with the flattery Sir and simply state your business."

He started to rub his eyes and then his mouth fell open when I slapped his hands and told him, "Stop that. You've probably been touching all manner of filth on the road between Linderhall and here. Do you wish to rub it into your eyes and cause an infection?"

Then he barked a tired laugh. "You sound just like April." At my inquiring look he said, "My older sister. And I suppose it will be simpler to treat you as such. The Hall is in need of more ... something ... organizing ... ordering about ... than any of us can give it. Marta gives what guidance she can but my sister in law is ... is ... To put it bluntly she is fit for the board room and bedroom but not for the running of an establishment like the Hall. My sisters do what they can but Wendolyn can be a bit touchy about status and what she sees as implied criticism ... not to mention she is six months gone with her first child and the worry of it and the danger left behind by the plague is driving my brother mad when he needs all his focus."

"I still do not see ..."

"It is the damned issue of status again. It is Wendolyn's bread and butter and she is oversensitive right now. But as a widow of the old Guardian ..."

My face must have been a sight because he stopped in surprise and then laughed. "You look like you've bitten into an unripe persimmon."

Trying to school my features I said, "I beg your pardon."

"Don't. This is the first laugh I've had in ... in a long time. And it at least lets me know that if you come back to the Hall it will not be for love of what you left behind or desire to have it back."

I shook my head. "No. It would not be because of that. Still ... there's Marta ..."

"And if she was herself and full of strength I have no doubt that woman could manage Wendolyn quite well, but she isn't and in fact is who sent me for you."

"Mizz Marta is asking for me? For true?"

"Aye."

"Then why didn't you say so. Of course I'll go to her."

"Slow down. This will not be for a few days or even a few weeks. It will likely be the work of the whole harvest and then the winter. Perhaps even the Spring as well."

I shrugged. "It's not like I have anything else to do. When do you want to leave?"

"I would like to ride out now but I must pay a visit to the Mayor of Harper." From the look on his face I knew it wasn't just to tell Rom's father Bless You and Yours. "Two days ..."

"Make it four if you please. I would like to see my cousin Nat on his way and it will give me time to shut up the cabin against the seasons while I am gone."

"So be it. I will stop by again to discuss travel arrangements."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Mid-morning the next day Nat sat at my table having come by to check on me.

"By all that's holy. Such news," Nat muttered. "And it should have been shared with the church. We need to lay in extra food and medical supplies in case the enemies on our border try an incursion during this time of apparent weakness."

"I believe the Captain ... or whatever title he bares as the brother of the Guardian ... may well be having a word with the Mayor."

Noting my tone of satisfaction Nat counseled, "Leeda ... it is not healthy that you still hold such a grudge. And dangerous until we know where this new Guardian stands ... whether the Mayor has his ear or not."

Knowing he was right but still unable to let it go I said, "Perhaps. On the other hand ... oh bother, what am I to do with my fowl." The thought distracted me from where I would have taken the conversation and confused Nat.

"What? Why do anything with them ... the lazy cluckers already drop more eggs than you can use."

Attempting to explain I told him, "That is the other part Nat. The housekeeper at Linderhall ... she needs me. It will be at least through the Winter."

Nat immediately pruned up. "No. I ..."

"Nat, I want to go. Or should I say I want to leave this place regardless of where I go. This is no longer my home. I had thought to write to Sister Evelyn but ... truly ... this may be God opening a door for me to escape before what you call my 'grudge' becomes too deeply entrenched."

"What incentive have they given? And are you sure they come from Linderhall?"

A soon-to-be familiar voice called from the dooryard. "Widow?"

I stepped to the door and beckoned him over. "I can offer you a seat at the table this time Sir. My cousin is here."

The man took off his hat and shook hands with Nat. "Daren Linder ... and you are Brother Harper? I just stopped by the church and Father Gabe sent me this way. I was hoping to catch you."

Nat nodded.

"Please, sit, allow me to pour you a cup of tea?" I pulled a bottle of apple wine from the cupboard and asked, "Or something stronger despite the hour of the day? Forgive me for saying so but you look like you could use it. And the fruitcake should be ready to eat if you'd both like a slice."

Nat gave me a scowl. He was partial to my fruitcake and he knew that I knew it and was trying to bribe him into a more open mind. "Bah!" he said suddenly capitulating. "You'll do as you please anyway Leeda. Let us not have an argument over it. I'll have a slice of cake and a cup of wine." He turned to the man and said, "If I were you I wouldn't turn either down. Leeda has a fine hand at such things despite her youth."

I rolled my eyes at Nat behind his back and the man's eyebrows shot up. Nat and I were close despite the ten year difference in our ages. Both of us are unconventional in our own way. I suspect that the man was having to rework his expectations of us. He looked at Nat and said, "She has told you of my request?"

"Only just. What guarantee do I have that you are who you say you are? I made the mistake in believing that the Linders would care for her once, I won't make the mistake twice."

"Nat!" I exclaimed, worried he was making an enemy he did not need.

"It is true and I won't stand by again."

The man didn't seem to take any affront to Nat's words and in fact seemed to relax ... though perhaps it was his first bite of cake that did it. "I've papers here. And if you've need of further proof I can send for Mr. Tosh who is going over the Mayor's books as we speak."

I was glad I hadn't taken a sip of wine yet or I would have choked on it. "Mr. Tosh is here?"

"Yes," he answered with smirk.

"Well, the ... hmmm ... the Mayor must be finding it ... well ..."

The man snorted and nodded. "Indeed he is."

Nat turned to me and asked, "You know this Mr. Tosh?"

"He is the manager of Linderhall, or was when I resided there."

The man said, "Still is though his title has been changed to Bailiff and my brother has bid him hire some assistants so that he can do more touring."

Nat whistled. "That's going to go over fine."

"Aye, there's already been talk but the truth is that it is as much for the protection of the towns as it is for the Guardian. Before his death my father discovered a great many discrepancies and unknowns in his cousin's income and the same in the tax rolls. The review is to straighten the two sets of books out in case the missing entries are because the books have become confused over the years. Mr. Tosh said that the old Guardian did his own books and was tight fisted with them. My brother has decided to continue with the idea of a new accounting to show both the people and the Great Council that it is to be a lawful transfer despite the unusual nature of this succession, that there are no plans to take advantage of those under our care and nurture."

Nat nodded. "Makes sense when said that way. But let us return to the topic at hand. I will be blunt and ask what duties will Leeda be expected to fulfill."

It took but a moment for both the man and I to catch Nat's meaning. Fear leapt into my chest but the man was quick to dispel it. "Mostly she will be a liaison between Mr. Tosh as Bailiff, Marta as housekeeper, my other brother James who has taken the position of Chancellor, and my sister in law so that the Hall can be pulled back in shape after so much disruption. Mr. Tosh will have his hands full guiding the incoming harvest; James with helping Tomas - The Linder - establish his place on the Great Council, and Marta is still recovering and will need to be careful through the winter. For the rest, I had thought that she can be a companion to my sisters who are ... high spirited and not enjoying the restrictions they are experiencing in their new social circle."

Nat still looked unconvinced. "Nat, let me try and understand." I turned to the man and asked, "Basically what you wish is for someone to ... hmmm ... put your sister in law at her ease, perhaps introduce your sisters to the household staff, and if possible redirect everyone's energies so that the work can proceed quickly and with as few ... er ... bumps in the road as possible."

The man nodded. "You see it rightly." To Nat he explained, "The Guardian's wife is expecting her first child. To say it has my brother ... er ..."

Nat nodded thoughtfully. "The village priest often needs to counsel men that are ... er ..."

I rolled my eyes at their er's. "How close to climbing the ceiling in the meeting hall is he?"

The man looked at me with a smile. "He's almost able to swing from the gaslamps."

Nat leaned forward and said, "Be that as it may, and I'm not so deep in the church that I can't see where my cousin's presence wouldn't help, but what of her status?"

"Nat ..."

"No Leeda. It needs discussing. I know you are fond of this Marta and will do all in your power for her regardless of my concerns but on this I'll have my say." He turned to the man and said, "Leeda was sent back here with no escort, no dower, no portion beyond food and a few circles to keep herself for less than a year. She was forced to give up what could have been sold to secure some future for her and left with the burden of a status that keeps her from pursuits better suited to her talents and nature. Had she not had this cabin to return to she would have been forced to beg for charity ... but from whom I don't know as none have stepped forward to offer much more than consternation and resentment at having to rearrange the social scale of Harper. My cousin was a wife, not a temporary consort, and should have been treated better ... should be treated better."

The man scowled. "It wasn't by our hand. My father was told she would be there to care for. That she wasn't made it appear ..." In an aggravated tone he said, "It was weeks before I could finally get some of the story out of Marta and Tosh and they still kept most of the facts close. I assume it was because of the presence of the other widows and the mischief they could cause. I knew the Below Stairs held some grudge and distrust but I was searching in the wrong direction. I thought it was due to their attachment to the previous Guardian or perhaps because he'd treated them ill."

I shook my head. "No. The Linder treated his staff well and was even handed, if not generous with his words or coin to them. Ceena and Tonya could be a bit cold to the staff but that was status talking and them showing how they were raised rather than intentional misconduct. And as for the rest, you must be mistaken yet. Mizz Marta and Mr. Tosh would hold no grudge on my account, nor would any of the other staff for that matter. Any changes would have them concerned as most have been staff since their apprenticeship and for several, their parents before them were and are also staff. When your life and livelihood depends on a single family, it can be nerve-wracking to be in the midst of change. And you've likely brought in your own staff to the mix." At his nod I said, "I'll sort out the problem when we arrive. The quicker the issues can be concluded the better for all concerned." The man just stared at me. "What?"

"I've a sister your age - the younger, not the older which I have a feeling you will get along well with - and I cannot imagine ... You are ..."

Nat nodded. "Leeda came on like this during the dying time we had here when she was a child. The Sisters saw it and sent her to the college early. She would have had a triple had her marriage to the old Guardian not interfered."

"I thought she was given in marriage at 14?"

"She was."

"Hello. I'm in the room, not on my deathbed or deaf," I reminded them.

The man turned to look at me. "And you are 16 now? Why did you not finish the college or go to university?"

I spit, "Status."

"Status? But surely ..." He stopped and then remembered that status was a two edged sword. Depending on your status you can receive social perks but at the same time be held back so that those with less status can have a fair try at seeking their fortune. He sighed. "My brother may be able to help but not until after the succession is secured."

I shrugged, "I don't expect anything to change so don't make a request on my behalf."

Nat looked at the heavens and sighed, "And this is why she needs someone to look after her interests."

The man nodded and they both began to irritate me. Before I could express it however the man said, "I have some leeway in this matter. I'll get Mr. Tosh to write a contract and at a minimum she will at least have a stipend and a sum settled on her."

There was some scratching at the backdoor and I left the two men to their dickering. I looked out and there to my great surprise saw a runner from the Mayor's house. "May I help you?" I asked.

"A delivery Widow Linder," the boy said holding out a piece of paper.

I took it by its corner and the boy ran off, presumably to complete other tasks. I walked back in holding the invitation like it was a piece of hairy nettle and me without gloves.

"What is it Leeda?" Nat asked.

"I have no idea."

"It looks like an invitation."

"I know."

The look on my face must have been something to behold because the man laughed and asked, "And do you always treat invitations like they are plague riddled bombs?"

"Seeing as I've never been invited anywhere much less to the Mayor's home I'm honestly not certain how I am to treat it. Are you the reason for this?" I asked him in accusation.

He smirked. "Perhaps." More seriously he asked me, "You've never been invited to the Mayor's house? I was given to understand that you were quite close."

Nat snorted and said, "The Waverly family holds the post once held by the Harpers. Our great grandfather grew weary of the politics and retired. We became the Woodsmen ... at least until the plague that killed us all. It came from fleas carried by the deer and ... "

I put my hand on Nat's shoulder as I knew it was an old worry of his. "Rest Nat. It was never your calling to be a Woodsman. Grandfather and father never regretted sending you to seminary. And that is ancient history. As for the connection with the Waverly family ... that too is ancient history and I would rather not discuss it. But I won't be part of a faradiddle either, not even for politics or politeness. I have no relationship with the Waverly family, certainly not a close one."

The man looked interested in questioning me more but I asked instead, "You seem to know about this ... this missive. Did you prompt it?"

"In a manner of speaking." I simply stared at him. He shrugged. "I dislike mysteries and I've faced far too many in the last few days, and them being primarily about you Widow."

"Oh for goodness sake ..."

"Oh aye ... you may doubt it if you wish but between being thwarted from questioning Marta because of her illness, from questioning Tosh because he's so stiff in his britches he must have his wife starch them, and then the so-called confusion that should not have been of you being informed of my tentative arrival date, I can assure you ... I am being good and mellow compared to how I wish to behave."

I was trying not to smile as his description of Mr. Tosh was very accurate. "And exactly what devilment have you gotten up to to release some of your fractious nerves?"

"I wish to see you at the Mayor's house, in company."

I was no longer amused. "No."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Leeda!" Nat hissed.

"I won't go."

The man looked at me calmly and said, "The invitation is for my benefit, not the Mayor's."

"I care not," I told him rising from my seat. "I won't go and you can't make me even if you are the brother of the Guardian."

I turned and left the cabin. It was a childish thing to do and I left Nat to clean up the mess but my anger had taken my commonsense.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I was beating the bushes about a quarter mile down the forest path when the stick I was swinging broke. "Oh botheration!" I said kicking a stone and instead of satisfaction finding the pain of a stubbed toe. Hopping around in pain I snarled, "Oooooo ... I hope they all rot."

From behind me I heard, "The Waverly family or has something else raised your ire to a flame."

"Oh ... it's you." My tone left him with no need to wonder how I felt about his presence.

Instead of being wise and leaving me be the man leaned against a tree and said, "Now you remind me more of my other sister Nancee. I made the mistake of putting a garter snake in her bed once and I've paid for it long and hard ever since and any time the subject is mentioned she gets the exact same look on her face as you have right now."

"What kind of a brother to the Guardian are you?!"

"Tomas and James ask me the same question on a regular basis. I tell them the kind that Father gave them. Tomas said if I was going to be such that he'd best make me the Sheriff, one that cares little to nothing for status so won't be tempted to let the highers go while blistering the lowers for the same sins."

"You're ... you're the Sheriff of Tentuckia?" I gasped.

"Aye."

"But you're young." At his raised eyebrow I rolled my eyes. "Oh botheration, don't throw my words back at me. I knew it was a stupid thing to say as soon as it left my mouth."

"At least you admit it," he said with a smile to take any sting away. "And being the Sheriff it is my responsibility to see if wrongs were intentional or not. I suspect ... well, I wish to see for myself before I take it before The Linder. So, I wish you to accept the invitation so that I can see for myself how things stand."

Concerned I said, "My attitude aside, there has been nothing criminal going on. The Mayor has not intruded on my life or anything like that."

"Money was sent with the messenger two weeks ago. It was quite a sum as it was to reimburse the Mayor for the expense of caring for you."

Shocked I said, "There must be some mistake."

"No. I was told that they'd been looking after your needs quite extensively since you had no relatives who would."

Carefully I told him, "Nat has taken a vow of poverty but gives me all the care that I've needed. I have gotten by just fine."

"But the Mayor has not done his duty."

"I was not aware that he had one."

"Oh aye. Mr. Tosh stated that he sent a missive to the Mayor after you had left asking to be kept apprised of your welfare. Missives came infrequently and usually only after one was sent asking after you."

"Someone ... someone asked after me? Truly?"

The Sheriff as I now knew to address him nodded. "Aye. Would that they had thought to enquire about you directly instead of through that pompous ... hmmm. You still have not explained why you hold a grudge against the Waverly family."

Feeling mulish and embarrassed by my previous behavior, both what had just occurred and what was in the past, I asked, "Did Nat explain?"

"Aye. But I wish to hear it from your own lips and in your own words."

"Botheration," I muttered.

"Quicker said, quicker over."

"Oh you'll make a good Sheriff. You know when to be easy and when to be iron." He simply stood there waiting. "I was young and naive and didn't know it. Spoiled as well as anything I went after had come too easily."

"You can say this despite the troubles you faced from the loss of your family?"

"My family isn't lost to me Sheriff ... we are, let us call it separated for a bit. I'll see them again."

"Hmmm. Nat has done his job well I see."

"Perhaps. But more my parents and grandparents did their job and I've never felt insecure in that way."

"Never?"

"Well," feeling forced to be honest. "For a time ... but Mizz Marta ... let us just say that ... that ... I was too young for what was asked of me and very few people cared about it. And that I appreciate those few who did."

The Sheriff's expression was sour. "Father and Dwen had kittens when they heard of the marriage. Dwen - Father's Consort - was from a Region in the northeast and had been given as a childbride to her first husband. She hates the practice so much that in their contract with one another she made Father swear that the girls, even though she didn't birth them, would be forbidden marriage until they were at least sixteen and that they would never be forced into one against their will."

I shrugged having no desire to explain or tell him just what kind of unthinking ass the man called my husband had been. He was a good politician, and a reasonable Guardian, but a poor excuse for a man which was why, in my opinion, Ceena and Tonya had been able to order things the way they had.

He continued to wait on my part of the story so rather than look at him while I told it I examined a beetle that gnawed on a bit of tree bark. "Oh very well but it makes me sound ... what I was ... childish and naive. I imagined myself in love - and for that time and my experience what I felt was love. And ... and Rom ... I believe he felt the same. Perhaps we both confused friendship for romance ... or perhaps not. I've never spoken of it with him, have never spoken to him at all since before I was sent to Linderhall so for his part you'll need to ask him."

"And do you still feel the same?"

"No!" Shaking my head I moderated my tone. "No. I've grown up. My broken heart is mended."

"Then why the grudge?"

"Pride mostly. It was ... humiliating. On many levels. And before you ask, I refuse to try and explain why that is so to someone who cannot understand."

"Fair enough. Dwen often told me that she could tell me the words but that didn't mean I would hear them for what they were. The question is did you never seek out the Mayor for help given your station and situation?"

I snorted. "No. I got the message loud and clear."

"I thought you said ..."

"Not a written one," I said nearly snapping in my impatience to be done with the topic. "For some reason I am an embarrassment. And there is worry that I will try and lead Rom ... astray. Which should tell you what they think of my character and totally without reason. From all that I hear the problem is that Rom has not fallen into their plans as eagerly as was expected. I take no pleasure in that so get the look off your face if you please. I could tell them the problem but I do not think they would appreciate it."

"What would that be Widow?"

He was needling me by calling me Widow but the irritation of it was less than he might supposed. It reminded me to be cautious ... more cautious ... than I had been with him to this point. "They denied Rom the one thing he wanted most."

"You?"

"Heavens no. Even at fourteen and tip over top in what I thought was love I knew that to push Rom before he got his training in combat was a sure way to alienate him. As my talent is in housekeeping and food keeping, Rom's lies in fighting ... not of the verbal type at which he has almost no talent ... but in the kind where his body and mind work as a machine. I used to watch him when they had tournies and he was like a dancer in how he moved. It must kill a bit of him each day to be kept from university and further training by masters of the craft. Rom knew that his talents did not lie in the area of books and politics and that it disappointed his father, but he was very proud of the talents he did have and was very eager to improve them."

"Hmmm. So is your grudge against Fan Waverly?"

I shrugged. "I suppose in part. On the other hand there are days when I feel sorry for her. The whole point of the alliance with Beauville was to begat a male heir ... and there isn't one. Two girls back to back and Fan had so much trouble with the second one that the doctors have ordered her to not conceive for at least another year, preferably two, and to build herself up in the meantime. She is twenty-seven now. I imagine there is some worry that she is running out of time."

"For someone who does not socialize you certainly know some rather intimate details of the Waverly family."

I shrugged. "Do you really think people would miss gossiping and being busybodies? I have people coming to me for help at the back door regularly and while I refuse payment they seem to feel the need to ... to communicate certain facts to see my reaction." I sighed. "I know how I sound. Nat has lectured me often enough on the subject. I suppose it is that I still begrudge what happened ... it isn't any one person but the whole of them that ... that put me in the position I found myself in and the way it was handled. Now can we please drop this? "

"Only if you agree to accept the invitation and allow me to escort you this evening."

I grumbled, "Oh botheration."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Nat I feel ten kinds of foolish. I did not even socialize much before The Linder was hauled off by the angels. Using my status and doing so now seems so ... so hypocritical."

"And under other circumstances I would agree with you Leeda," he said surprising me. "But this is more like a ... like a command performance. The Sheriff stated he needed you to play a part ... be yourself as it were ... in company at the Mayor's house so he can see their reaction to your presence. The fact that you are going in your widow's wear - patched and threadbare in places even if it is your best - will shame those that should be shamed."

I snorted, "You mean set the cat amongst the pigeons."

Nat smiled gently and set my shawl across my shoulders. "That too."

Curious I asked, "What do you sense of him Nat?"

"The Sheriff?" At my nod he answered, "He has the potential to be a good man, perhaps even the inclination, but in the end he is just like the rest of us and needs to make the choice of whether he will be good ... or not. I believe, in this situation, he may feel more inclined than he was in the beginning."

"Oooo, don't get puzzling; my stomach is ready to rebel as it is."

Nat chuckled. "You'll do fine. But Leeda ..."

"Yes?" I asked as he tapered off.

"Do not find yourself alone with Rom ... or any man for that matter."

"Nat! As if I would. No sane person would want to make that kind of talk."

"You wouldn't mean to Leeda. But guard yourself against being maneuvered into it. Perhaps I am being overly cautious but if there is a problem, desperation may make someone ... uncharitable."

"Ugh. As if I don't have enough to worry about. I guess all of the politicking in the church has taught you a few things."

"A few things I wish I didn't know now about certain people ... and about people in general. But it is not always politics that drives people. I've found the two things that most people are concerned with even when they don't know it is assets and pride."

"Are you pinching at me?"

"No, not particularly but you do need to watch yourself. Pride goeth before a fall. You've grown and healed from your experiences and I no longer worry about you being anyone's doormat but I do grow concerned about the anger you still have for some people. A righteous anger is one thing, a destructive or vengeful one is something else. Let The Lord have it for once and forever Leeda and stopped carrying it around and letting it torment you."

I sighed. "That's part of why I need this opportunity that has been presented to me. I need to get away from Harper, away from these memories that eat at me when I don't want them to."

"Running away won't fix it Leeda, only give you scope to feel it about something else."

"It's not running away I want but removing what's proving toxic for me."

"And you think going back to Linderhall is healthy?! It would seem you would have as many to be angry at there as you do here."

"From the Sheriff's words, those that I would be most angry at are no longer in this life and as for the rest ... well I have to deal with reality and not how I wish things were. Linderhall is an opportunity. Not to be given something but to do something for myself. Face what brought me down. Find some time and peace to center myself. Figure out where I want to go next. And I owe Mizz Marta. I owe her more than I could ever repay. She was my earthly guardian angel for a while and that deserves something in return now that she's in need of her own."

There was the sound of horses and then a knock on my door. "Widow Linder? The Sheriff wishes to know if you would mind riding, the carriage blew a gasket this afternoon and a replacement did not arrive in time."

I walked out with Nat and the Sheriff looked more than a little irritated. I walked over to where he was trying to steady an excitable beast as tall as my Nanny was. "I don't know who looks more peeved; you or that great horse that looks fit to toss you and run."

"Hah, laugh if you can Widow but Charger will be baring your weight as well."

"Oh no he won't. If we are to ride I'll be doing it safely from the back of my mule. She may not look as fine as your beastie but at least she won't toss me into a ditch."

By the time Nanny was saddled and I told Nat goodnight - he decided to stay at the cabin and await my return before going back to the rectory - the Sheriff had gotten the stallion more under control.

"My pardon but they corralled him with mares. He was less than happy at being asked to leave them."

"You had no stable boy with you?"

"Not this time. I did not expect to need one and I usually give Charger most of his care myself. Is that beast you ride the 'great stead' I read about in the will?"

I gurgled a laugh. "Yes, this is Nanny. We rescued each other from a sinking mud pit when Ceena and Tonya insisted we visit some of their relatives near old Paduck; and, as her original owner was never found I was allowed to use her to fetch and carry for Mizz Marta or anyone else at the Hall."

"You ... were a Messenger? A wife of the Guardian was playing messenger?!"

I shrugged. "One does what one must and it got me outside the Hall. And out from under prying eyes. The constant escort I had while on Linder land was the opposite of what I was used to. It was like having an endless stream of criticism heaped upon my head ... like I would never be worthy of the status bestowed upon me by The Linder. Escaping ... even if it was while on someone's silliest errand ... allowed me to attain some balance."

"Tell me you had an outrider."

In an attempt at humor I said, "I will if you insist ... but I prefer not to lie. Especially not to the Sheriff."

"What by all that's holy what were they thinking letting a 14 year old girl wander about by herself?!"

I reminded him, "I wasn't a 14 year old girl ... I was the third wife of the Guardian."

He fell silent and seemed troubled. "It really hasn't been all that long for you has it Widow?"

"If you refer to my husband's death then the answer is a little over two seasons as well you should know."

He fell silent again then reached out and stopped Nanny. He glanced at the two outriders that were following and one went ahead a few feet and one turned his horse and went a few more feet behind us. "Widow ... Leeda ... I'm sorry I must ask this but my brother asked. Was ... was my father's cousin ... did he treat you ..."

"Did he abuse me?" At his nod I said, "Physically? No. He did resent my presence and had as little to do with me as he could get away with which gave others ... inadvertent permission to ... to cause me problems. My understanding from his complaints to me is that when he agreed to the deal that brought me as his wife he reckoned without the trouble it would cause in his household. And he was old ... and such a young wife ... irritated and embarrassed him I suppose is the simplest explanation with the fewest words. I think ... I think at the end he came to feel sorry for me but where that would have led I do not know as it was not too long after that that he became ill. Does this answer your concerns sufficiently that we might leave the subject?"

"You are uncomfortable speaking of it?"

Stiffly I answered, "Yes. Put it down as ... as part of that pride issue you saw me exercising this morning."

"Very well. But at some other time we will revisit who you had troubles with."

"Why?" I asked fully irritated once again. "It is over and best left in the past where it belongs."

"Because it is pieces of the puzzle of Linderhall and the surrounding area that I am trying to put together. A puzzle I must fit together if I am to do my job successfully." He bid us ride again. "Come, let us get this finished."

The distance was not great and was soon accomplished. Our steads in the hands of the outriders who would care for them the Sheriff placed my hand in the crook of his arm and we walked to the staging area where it looked like representatives from most of the local families in both Harper and Beauville already waited.

My hand must have tightened letting him know how nervous I was, how much I didn't want to be there because he patted it where it lay. But that didn't stop him from marching us directly into the lions' den.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Come Widow ... Leeda ... walk with me. I do not believe you've ever graced the grounds and the views are quite beautiful at sunset."

Carefully, trying to avoid creating a scene, I smiled calmly and replied, "I am sure they are Turner Waverly but I promised the Sheriff that I would await his return here on the dais and here I am staying regardless of the number of invitations to leave it. I do not consider it wise to break my word ... especially not to the Sheriff of Tentuckia."

Rom's brother didn't lose his smile but it did become a bit stiff. Still he kept his manners and bowed and said, "Of course."

I tried not to let my sigh of relief be obvious. A steady stream of unwanted attention had been coming my way since our arrival had me itching to throw a salt cellar at the Sheriff for leaving me to deal with it on my own. Suddenly there was a scream and we all turned and I saw a woman crumpled on the ground. I saw immediately I was dealing with barnyard fowl as all anyone else was doing was running around in a panic.

I left the dais at a jog and fell on the ground by the woman. "What happened?" I demanded.

"She ... she just ... just fell ..." I looked up and saw Turner Waverly's wife Roda.

Moving the hair off of the face on the woman on the ground I found it to be Fan. Part of me groaned and wondered if this was a play of some kind but she was too pale whether it was a play or not.

"Where is Rom's mother?" When people just looked around. "Oh for the love of ... has no one sent for her?!" Turning and looking I spied one of Turner's sons and told him, "High yourself off at a run and find your grandmother. She's trained and has more experience than I." I looked to Roda and asked, "What of Mrs. Carter? Or Mrs. Bailey?"

"They both left to go to family that needed them last week."

I growled but stopped when Fan moaned. "Easy there. Don't move. You're as pale as sugar water. Does anything hurt? Are you in pain? Dizzy?"

"Why are you here?"

"Because apparently I'm the only ninny in this bunch with enough training to see to your health until someone else better can arrive. No, don't move. Not until Mrs. Waverly gives you leave."

"I ... I'm fine. I ... it's so ... so warm."

I felt her forehead and cheeks. "You've no fever. When's the last time you've had something to drink ... and please tell me you aren't drinking the Waverly Punch. As I remember it the stuff is strong enough to peel paint."

"Only a few sips."

A growl slipped out. "Did you at least eat something beforehand?"

"My ... my stomach was unsettled."

"And you thought the punch would somehow help with that?" I shook my head. "Not to be indelicate but could you be carrying again?"

A sloppy voice from behind me said, "If she is, it isn't mine. We've not shared a bed in months."

I turned and sure enough there stood Rom. My first glance at him since I'd been sent away and I find him nearly too drunk to stay upright. Carefully I said, "Turner, would you be so kind as to take your brother and stick his head in a bucket? And if you choose to hold him there a bit longer than is strictly necessary I don't think anyone here would begrudge you."

I turned my back and refocused on Fan. She whispered, more than a little humiliated, "No ... I am not carrying."

"Well that's something." I looked around to find far too many men just standing around. "Well what are the lot of your clodheads looking at? I hope your women all send you to the barn for your bed tonight if this is the way you would treat them in their time of need. Now move, the whole lot of you are next to useless ... move I say, give the poor woman some air ... and some privacy."

They weren't moving and I was in the middle of standing up when I remembered something that Ceena had once been forced to do when a barbarian from the East had intruded upon one of her dinner parties in an effort to make mischief. I stood straight and tall and then just looked at them with the frozen cold from a whole winter packed into one stare. I remember the barbarian slowly stopping and then backing away giving the sign of the evil eye before leaving the party. Ceena had never needed to say a single word. I had been glad that for once that look wasn't directed my way.

I wasn't quite as successful at pulling it off as Ceena - she'd had years of practice after all - but the men did move off with only minor mumbling and muttering.

I leaned back down muttering, "If they are going to act like toadstools then maybe we should seal the whole lot of them into barrels until they grow some sense." A sad hiccup of a laugh drew my eyes to Fan's face. I took my handkerchief and wipe away a tear. "They'll give you some peace now but I need to ask ... are you bleeding Fan? Is it a womanly hurt you feel?"

"No. I feel weak but the university doctors said that would go with time ... and I am better than I was."

"Let me guess, they also informed you that you need to eat more liver and leafy greens and to stay off of your feet ... and moderate your socializing?"

She sighed.

"What have you done to my daughter in law?"

I looked up to find Mr. and Mrs. Waverly looking down at me like a pair of demon bookends. "What you should have been doing. Looking to her welfare. She's no business being in the midst of this nonsense. She needs to be stitching or working on menus or something that she can do sitting down and quiet, not getting pushed to and fro playing hostess. It's obvious to anyone that isn't blind and an idiot that she's been ill and needs to be cared for, not the other way around, socializing so the two of your can escape with your cronies to scheme."

It was at that moment that Turner drug Rom back and seeing he was wet head to toe it was more than a bucket that he got dumped in. He kneeled beside Fan and I moved back. He took her hand and said, "I beg your pardon Fan ... it ... it was the punch and my bad temper."

Fan nodded silently and patted his hand. I realized something. Fan and Rom were trying to make a better bargain of it than I ever had with The Linder. It made me uncomfortable and shamed me.

Trying to keep my voice steady I told Rom, "She needs to be carried inside and then to your chambers. And she needs to stay there until the orders for her care that the doctors have given can do the work and she is stronger. The weather will soon turn changeable and she is weak enough that a simple chill could be dangerous. Whatever else you do Rom, this must be enforced. Do you understand?"

He looked at me blearily. "You've changed Leeda."

"So have you. That's the way life is when it hands you what we've been handed. Now take care of your wife. And remind others to do the same. And for the love of all Rom ... stay away from the punch, it obviously doesn't agree with you. You were acting like a knothead."

"You always told me the truth of it."

"I was your friend."

"Are you still?"

Irritated at all those that listened I sighed and snapped, "I must be because otherwise instead of giving you to your brother to deal with I would have skewered you with the roast beef carving knife. You really acted like an ass."

"I know." He looked to Fan and said again, "I know." He carefully lifted her and began to carry her to the house.

I stood up and as I was brushing my hands and skirt off Mr. Waverly snarled, "How dare you come to my home and behave in such a shameful way. How dare you ... after all we have done for you."

"Oh Glory above," I snapped losing what little patience I was holding onto. "I haven't seen any of you since you sold me to The Linder to keep you out of hot water of your own making. And even then you didn't have the courage to face me with it but sent my poor cousin to tell the tale. If it wasn't for Nat's intervention I wouldn't even have been going there to be a wife. So do not talk to me about what all you have done for me. And now that I am Widow of The Guardian I will remind you to treat me with the respect that station is due. And whatever monies you took from the Linder family, you'd best believe I have explained the truth of it to the good Sheriff."

Mrs. Waverly glanced at her husband and asked, "What monies?"

"Quiet woman."

"I asked what monies," she shrilled.

As they began to bicker I rolled my eyes and turned and marched back to the dais to get my shawl. I must have been mumbling some foulness as when the Sheriff stepped into my path he whistled. "Perhaps I won't introduce you to Nancee after all. You are far too creative."

"Then you best be lucky all it is are words. And for your information I am leaving. I am done being used for whatever purpose you are about. I've too much self-respect to turn into a plaything for any man, regardless of his reasons."

He blinked and reached a hand to stop me but was caught by Mr. Waverly who started complaining about my behavior and I made good my escape still cursing my situation and certain individuals in particular.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I was almost to the stable when Roda caught up with me and told me breathlessly, "Fan wants to see you."

Responding more waspishly than I had intended I responded, "Well I don't think it wise that I see her. This whole mess is ludicrous and I'll be glad to see the backside of it when I leave to go back to Linderhall."

"Oh ... you ... you are ..."

"Yes. With the passing of the other two Widow Linders there are some matters that need my attention. Now please tell Fan to listen to the doctors and do what they say is best for her." Looking around I added, "Rom's mother should be seeing to this, not you."

Roda glanced away then back. "Things aren't as we've been told are they?"

"Since I don't know what you are referring to I have no idea."

She looked at me like an inquisitive sparrow. "Rom's right. You're different."

Growing tired of the whole of it I told her, "I was a fourteen year old child when I left here. Given what I was going to there is no way I could not help but change."

She swallowed and nodded. "Was it very bad?"

"Whatever it was or was not is no one's business. Is that all?"

Berniece, Rom's sister that is about my age came out of the shadows and grabbed my arm. "Rom is miserable since you left. If you leave again I don't know what he'll do."

I looked at the drama queen and sighed and peeled her grip off. "I can guess at the cause but it isn't me, that's for certain. He and Fan seem to get along fine ... when the dunce isn't swimming in the punch."

Beniece shook her head and sighed dramatically, enjoying the part she had written for herself more than too much. "Of course it is you. You are his great love."

I snorted then started laughing to hide the pain of the memories. "We were fourteen and sixteen Berniece. What love we had for each other was the love of one child for another ... for a good friend they'd known their whole life. I've found a way to live with what life has handed to me ... but Rom looks like he could use some help finding his way." I looked to Roda. "Tell Turner to get Rom into battle training. Somehow, some way, however it may. Something was taken from him that he needed. He needs a way to burn off the frustration. And have a goal that reminds him of what he once was and could be again."

"Like you have?" Roda asked in sincere curiosity.

I saw in her an honesty the others lacked. I'd always liked Roda and I suppose it was possible that I still did. "I'm getting there. And I'll finish getting there after I leave here. Nat will be leaving as well. And with him gone I'm the last Harper. Perhaps it is best to unlink myself from my family's namesake. This place has changed so much from what it once was. It has no connection for me or to me anymore. Let both the town of Harper and me, the last Harper, go our separate ways."

I turned to go again but Berneice stopped me and asked, "Are we in trouble? Will you tell the new Guardian that we aren't fit? Father says you will. He says you'll betray us and see us put out to live with the savages. Tell me you won't Leeda ... please, in Rom's memory don't do that to us."

I sighed yet again, growing weary and irritated at her theatrics. "What do I have to do with the Guardian? I've never even met the man. I'd be more concerned with what the Sheriff will say ... he's the Guardian's brother." They gasped because apparently that tidbit wasn't known by all.

I rode Nanny hard all the way back to the cabin, only slowing down when it grew dark. But she was still breathing fast and needed a good rub down when I got in. Nat came out, took one look at my face, and proceeded to help me care for Nanny, ignoring the stray tear that would fall.

I'd calmed my anger down by the time we'd finished and locked the shed I used as a stable for the animals. "I was going to head back to the rectory but I think I will stay here for the night instead."

I shook my head. "Go Nat. You have to finish your preparations and I want to finish the last journey cake for you."

"Leeda ..."

"And don't tell me there is no need. You are my only cousin ... only family ... and when you leave I don't know when or if we'll ever see ... see ..."

"Shhhhh, no crying. We said no crying, remember? Whether we part permanently in this life or not, we'll always be together again ... all of us will ... after our Judgment Day."

I breathed to control my emotions and then nodded though my eyes still wanted to water. "So it will be."

"Now sit and drink a cup of tea. The night feels like it wants to chill before morning. And tell me of this great party. Was it interesting?"

I fell into a chair Nat pulled in front of the fireplace and answered his query with, "Interesting in the same way being watched by a Forest Cat is interesting. I was on display and being pulled this way and that and if I can possibly manage it I'll never go to such another event for the rest of my life."

"Hmmm. That interesting."

"Hah. Your warning was timely but forewarned I refused all invitations to walk, view, visit, or anything else that took me from the dais. And the Sheriff ... the lunkhead ... left me on my own the whole time. Some escort. Never again. And then ..."

"There's more?"

"Not just more but worse," I told him. "Fan fainted and all the chickens did was run around like their heads were cut off and I was forced to put my foot in it. Rom was drunk on the house punch and acting like Fanny's hind end until Turner - at my request - dunked him in something that got rid of the worst of the drink. Mr. and Mrs. Waverly, when they finally showed up, treated me like I was the spawn of Himself Down Below and started berating me for being shameful and I don't know what all else since I decided I had had enough and left the party."

"Where was the Sheriff in all this?"

I gave an unladylike snort. "No clue, probably doing his infernal observing. He tried to stop me when he finally showed up and I informed him I was leaving but Mr. Waverly waylaid him and started spewing his bile. Then ... then ..."

"More?" Nat asked. I turned to catch him hiding a suspicious expression behind a false yawn.

"Don't you dare laugh Nat. It was awful. Berniece tried to play one of her theatricals and called me Rom's one true love or some such nonsense and then begged me not to slander them to the Guardian ... as if I would. Roda ..."

"Turner's wife?"

"The same. She ... she seemed as she always had been. Nice. She was shocked to find out that the Sheriff is the new Guardian's brother. She said something strange ... that things weren't the way they'd been told. I have no idea what she meant by that."

Thoughtfully Nat hypothesized, "The Mayor appears to have been playing a deep game."

"Aye, maybe that's it. Because apparently Mrs. Waverly knew nothing about any monies that the Linder family had sent with the messenger for my keeping." With a deep sigh I said, "I'm so confused. I expected to be angrier at people but ... but those I'm angry with ... it is for reasons other than what happened ... or at least not only for what happened. And those I thought I would be the angriest with? All I felt was sorrow ... for all of us. Rom and Fan are unhappy Nat."

"I did try to talk to you about it Leeda. You just weren't in a place you could hear."

I sighed. "I need to work on that don't I?"

"Yes, but not just you. It is a lesson we all have to learn ... and relearn ... much more often than is comfortable for any of us in the human race. But for now you should get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day of sorting and packing. I will stay here tonight."

"Nat ..."

"Until I know that there will be no ... visitors ... wishing to make sure you found your way home it is here I will stay. One last night for old time's sake will not hurt me and the Rector will understand once I explain. He's never really understood how you lived without a companion of some sort ... this will fit in with his view of propriety and make him happy."

Actually happy to have him when he did stay, I was doubly so when I thought about any possible "visitors" that he'd mentioned. I'd never given that problem much thought because I'd never had such problems. But then again I'd never socialized in company to get the notice I had tonight.

"Very well Nat. I'll make your bed."

"No, just a pallet out here."

"Are you sure?"

He was.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"The Sheriff stopped by last night."

I nearly spilt the pepperweed seeds I was putting into a jar which would then go in my traveling case. "What did you say?"

Nat swallowed a bite of chickweed omelet I had made for his breakfast and repeated, "The Sheriff stopped by last night. He seemed ... peevish ... when I said you were unavailable."

"Good." Then shaking my head. "Or perhaps not. I hope he doesn't revoke his offer of a job at Linderhall."

"You aren't going to a job, you are going as the Widow Linder ... to help the family."

"Humph. I'd prefer it to be called a job."

"Have you transferred your grudge from the Waverlys to the Linders?"

"No and stop your sermoning first thing in the morning or you can leave without the fruit pasties I'm making for you." I shook my head. "It isn't a grudge to speak the truth. I would prefer it to be an honest job. This way none of us get the wrong idea or forget our place."

"You mean so you don't forget your place or make the mistake of daydreaming a bit."

"Of course I include myself in that. I'm not a complete ninnyhammer."

"No you aren't ... but I was just checking. I don't wish to see you hurt. You are still young enough to ..."

I rolled my eyes and told him, "Don't start Nat. That type of foolishness was ground out of me. And last night was proof of it. I thought it would at least hurt to see Rom and Fan together ... but it didn't, not even a bit."

"Then why the sighing? Are you sorry you feel nothing?"

"No. More like ... more like I'm ... I'm jealous. But ... oh botheration ... not jealous of them in particular ... just ..."

"Just?"

Hesitantly I tried to explain. "Nat ... they managed to make something of it, of their marriage. I didn't. Even with their troubles it looks like they've tried and found something even if it isn't a fairytale ... maybe a friendship, I'm not certain and shudder at the idea of prying to find out. It's just ... Nat, I didn't try ... and the only thing I found was a bit of pity; not felt by me but felt for me by my husband. I feel like a fool ... and somehow shameful ... but for the life of me Nat, I don't know what I would have done different could I have done anything different. It makes me feel dirty ... both for what my marriage wasn't and because I held hard feelings for Rom and Fan."

"Come and sit Leeda. Let us talk." Reluctantly I did as Nat asked. "Listen to me Leeda. Do you remember before my accident?"

"I was very young but I remember."

"I was young too, about fourteen. There was a girl. She died during the plague so her name and family don't matter. But I loved her as much as a young boy could and more than most thought I did. Then the accident and the resulting infection ... and then the surgery. It saved my life but left me ... half a man."

With absolute conviction I told him, "You're more man than most."

Nat shook his head. "You know of what I speak."

"Aye. But that doesn't define you as a man Nat. I remember Father and Grandfather saying that many times. A man is his actions and responsibilities and faith, not the container those things are housed in."

"But it has affected my life and my choices ... and has affected how other people relate to me."

Accepting the inevitable I said, "This is going to be a sad story isn't it."

"In part yes. When it became obvious that I'd never be able to begat and carry on the Harper name my young love's father forbid our friendship as having no profit. I still felt love and it pained me greatly, going from a brute of a boy proud of my size for my age and already having a few whiskers on my chin and upper lip to ... to what I was. Then I learned she'd given herself to another and a marriage was being rushed forward."

"Oh Nat."

"Oh Aye ... I was feeling sorry for myself all right. But your father told me that any boy would ... and grown men too that have found themselves in the same place. That I needed to find a new path ... or to discover the path that God had had in mind for me all along."

"What a pill to swallow."

"Yes it was. And for a while I was so angry that it was hard for me to manage. Do you ... do you remember when I pushed you from the hay loft?"

"I remember the tooth I lost because of it more than the push Nat."

"Well I remember it ... and I'll never forget it. Never forget the look on your father's and our grandfather's faces either ... or the beating your brothers gave me ... until Marcus realized I wasn't fighting back but was running into their fists as much as I could. Or your father telling the rest to leave me be while I sat by your bed and cried. I was 16 and I'd pushed a girl barely more than a baby just because she wouldn't take no for trying to give me a flower. You could have died or been a cripple for life Leeda ... but God was merciful. And that's when I decided I needed God more than I needed my anger. It didn't happen overnight but I did heal ... but I had to make the choice. I could have been ... different earlier. But when you are young you ... you don't always have the understanding of how to make things different."

"Is this about you ... or me?"

"About us both Leeda. Do you remember me telling you that I thought it not a bad thing that Fan is older than Rom?" At my nod he continued, "If I had to guess Fan has played the larger role in trying to make things work with Rom. She's older, has experienced loss herself, and is generally thought well of by those that know her. And Rom played his role as well and tried. He's sour more about other things than he is about his marriage to Fan."

"Good for them ... and I mean that. I might not have been able to say it aloud before yesterday but I am saying it now. Good for them and I hope things turn more hopeful."

"There's always hope for those who seek it. But what I'm saying Leeda is that ..." He stopped and sighed. "They both worked on it. It ... it takes two to make a thing like that work. My love for the girl I knew didn't last because ... because it took two and she ... she left so my feelings withered and died. And thankfully the Church now fills that spot in my life. But you ... you shouldn't start feeling shamed and ... and start doubting yourself because you've come to a deeper understanding of your marriage. It takes two Leeda and from what you've told me and from what I've learned from others, The Linder that was your husband was ... was a fairly good Guardian and fairly poor at almost everything else he put his hand to ... son, brother, father, husband ... soldier, farmer, businessman ... all of it. If he hadn't inherited the job and the assets that came with it – including good staff - I'm pretty certain he would've wound up nothing more than a lonely and miserable old codger in the poorhouse."

"But ..."

"No buts Leeda. He was older, more experienced, and he had to have known it was unrealistic to expect a girl to step into a marriage to a man with his responsibilities and sphere of influence and be able to ... to swim without drowning. It takes two Leeda. Just like my young love never tried ... your husband never tried. He may have had his reasons for keeping his distance and ignoring you but to my mind they weren't good enough. When you make a contract ... it doesn't matter what it is ... you are giving your word, involving your honor, promising to do your best ... and you're agreeing to work to see the contract successful. When one party fails to keep their honor in the agreement, they fail to fulfill their part, then the contract becomes null and void."

Trying to understand I said, "But marriage isn't a contract or covenant between two ... but between three. You said yourself that God is the only being that has never broken a promise which is what a contract is."

"Aye, marriage is different in that respect but don't confuse the issue. God sanctifies a contract made in good faith but He won't do the work to make sure the humans on the other end continue in good faith ... that is up to the spouses. You've nothing to be ashamed of Leeda ... you ... you were too young to have the experience to do much more than honor the fact that you were married. It should have been your husband that expressed an active good faith ... and in that he failed. You did what you could at the age you were; at the age The Linder was he should have been doing the Lion's share until you found your feet in his household yet he did not. Of all the things that you will regret in this life ... don't let those eleven months destroy you. If fault is to be counted then the Linder bares the far greater weight."

It was with a still heavy heart that I saw Nat off so he could return to his duties and have time to finish up his own packing. But I knew the remedy for depression and that was good solid work.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Before leaving for the rectory Nat had helped me to pull the storage chests from the loft and set them upon the floor for filling. As I packed and sorted with an eye that it was unlikely I would ever be returning I realized there were few things I could not walk away from if the Sheriff balked at what I was bringing.

I'd hate to leave behind my housegoods but there is such a thing as starting over. I had no attachment to most of the furniture in the cabin, nearly all of which was built in anyway and impossible to move. And I had enough linens to fit a much larger home so I could take one set and leave the rest. But my mother's comb and brush set I could not bear to part with. Nor my grandfather's Bible that Nat had mended the binding of as a special surprise for my sixteenth birthday. There was a crèche scene that my brothers had carved for me when I was finally old enough to stop chewing on my toys that I kept out year round and every year at the Celebration of the Birth they had added a new animal or character or some such ... until the plague had caused their deaths. My father's hunting rifle had been disallowed when I went to Linderhall the first time but I dared anyone to try and take it from me this one. My grandmother's sewing glasses was another delicate treasure. The bag that held locks of my family's hair, snipped before their bodies were carted away to the town funeral pyre would be put into a special pocket sewn into my skirt as would my legal papers sealed in a thin, waterproof tube and the few metal rings I hadn't had to sell to purchase goods to get me started in widowhood.

I was dirty and sweaty and going through memories as much as I was going through what I was packing. As muncheon approached I decided a break was needed. I headed outside to bring in some fresh water and was at the pump when the Sheriff rode into my clearing.

"Widow."

"Sheriff," I said not looking up as I continued to pump.

He got down from his horse - I heard the creak of his saddle - but then there was a thud and I turned to see him on the ground.

"What kind of funning is this?"

He did not answer.

"Sheriff?"

He hissed in pain and finally started to try and roll to sit up.

I put my bucket down and walked slowly forward. "If this is a theatrical ..."

The Sheriff groaned and then I got a look at his face. "Oh by all that's ..." I rushed forward. "When did this happen?"

"Las ... night."

"Last night?! When last night?"

He huffed but allowed me to sit him up and then get him standing up. "So much for my damn pride. I haven't been scooped up by a woman in ..."

"Hush. I'm stronger than I look. I wasn't born to this status I carry like a burden remember. Come. Sit on the bench and let me get some daisy salve and witch hazel."

"I don't need a doctor."

"And you aren't getting one but if you don't sit still I may send for Sister Serenity. She has a way of making mincemeat of men who refuse help and it usually has to do with one ear feeling like it has been detached and then sewn back on upside down. So what is it going to be Sheriff? My help or the ... er ... help of the good Sister?"

"You and April are going to be friends. I just know it. She's always poking and prodding one of us."

"Good. She sounds like a most reasonable lady."

I cleaned him up and noted that someone had already done it before me. "Who tried to patch you up the first time?"

"Innkeeper's wife."

"Mrs. Larson?"

"The same. When she was done I felt more pummeled than I had already been. And the woman dosed me."

I heard outrage in his voice, like he couldn't believe anyone would dare. Having a disagreeable husband and a half dozen sons of the same temperament I could well believe Mrs. Larson dosed on very little excuse any man she thought was being difficult. It was simply easier than her listening to them squall.

"There, all finished. You may be the Sheriff but you should still inform the Brothers and give them a description. They'll know whether they're local or not ... if they are they'll deal with them and if they aren't they'll be on the lookout."

"Already been done. I went to see your cousin."

"Why?" I asked carefully as I put the cleaning cloths to soak.

"To see whether you were 'available' or not."

"Hmmm. Nat is protective but not confiningly so. What did he say?"

"Said to walk softly because if I offended you that you might take my head off ... and that if you didn't he would."

"Oh he did not."

"Yes Widow, he did. And rightfully so. Let us just say last night did not go precisely as I had expected."

"And what did you expect? That I'd just go off with those men? I may be young ... and perhaps still be more foolish than I'd like to admit ... but I'm not stupid. And I've better manners as well."

He bowed in my direction, nearly tipping onto the ground. "Will you sit?! Honestly, did they crack your noggin to go with this black eye?"

"They tried."

I shook my head and poured him a dipper of water. "Nothing stronger."

"Agreed. I think we've both seen more of that than we'd like."

"Wha ...? " Then the look on his face told me to what he was referring. I sighed. "Rom was ..." Then I shrugged. "I don't know what he was. I don't know him now. Why I feel the need to make excuses for him I don't understand." I shook my head to clear it. "Have you heard news of Fan?"

"I was there before seeking your cousin out. There's been a huge row. The Mayor of Beaumont was informed during the night of his daughter's state and has come to collect her. Apparently the Mayor of Waverly was further shocked when his son informed him that it was he that sent word to his father in law and that he would be escorting his wife and daughters someplace that Fan could get the proper care she needs."

I said nothing.

"Did you hear me Widow?"

"I heard. I asked how Fan was. The rest is none of my business Sheriff."

"Hmmm."

Rather than take note of his tone I said, "I am wrapping the last of these journey cakes for Nat but there is one that didn't set as well as I like. Care to help me to polish it off with some soup? That should be soft enough not to irritate your mouth."

"Very well ... but don't think you are getting off lightly. We haven't even begun to discuss last night."

"Sure we have ... and we are now finished discussing it."

"Do you not wish to hear of my discussion with Turner Waverly?"

"Knowing Turner why would I wish to hear of what is an undoubtedly dull conversation?"

"Actually I found it rather enlightening. He was certainly and honestly outraged to find out that Mr. Tosh has discovered a second set of books and that his father has been syphoning money from the town and family coffers for some scheme that has yet to reveal itself."

That stopped me for a moment but I tried to not let it show. "And apparently he has been so successful at it that he made the mistake of thinking he could take and hide the money sent by the Linder Family with no one being the wiser."

"Which explains Mrs. Waverly's confusion about the funds that you had transferred on my behalf."

"Exactly though I suspect she has suspicions of something going on, just not what it might be. But I could be wrong," he added with a shrug. When I asked no further questions he sighed. "Widow … Leeda ... I am going to recommend that Mr. Waverly be removed as Mayor."

I dropped the serving ladle with a clatter. I turned in shock and just looked at him. "You ... you ... can't. Harper has been independent since before the end of the Days of Destruction."

"And independent it will remain."

"You ... I mean the Guardian ... will appoint a new Mayor?"

"No. Well yes. Damn, I think I might be getting too good at this sneaky political stuff." He looked at me with a sardonic glint in his eye making me very uncomfortable, like I had been played. "I believe that for the sake of his health the current Mayor needs to retire to someplace quiet ... perhaps to his holdings further to the east, a hunting lodge I believe. In this case the succession would be advanced and Turner Waverly will take on the mantle of Mayor of Harper."

"Your job is Sheriff ... if that's who you really are ... not ... not rearranging status."

"Have no fear Leeda, I am indeed the Sheriff and my brother is indeed the Guardian. However you are wrong that my job does not include rearranging status. Often times I run into ... issues ... that while they break no law outright they certainly destroy or have the potential to destroy the stability of this land. While the Guardian handles the authority of status - to give it or to take it away - one man alone should never have such power. James and I ... balance that power if you will ... through being Sheriff and Chancellor. Admittedly we cannot force life to be fair to everyone but we can see that justice is done as much as possible. Too many things were not adding up with your story, there was too much gossip going in every which direction and Ceena and Tonya didn't make matters any easier; I have discovered no outright lies but they certainly added their share of confusion. And then the money went missing. It could not be allowed to continue or fester. It is a matter of law and honor. Tomas is still consolidating his position as the new Guardian ... both with the Mayor's Council and with the Great Council itself. The review of the tax rolls and this situation gave him ... us ... a chance to show how we mean to start and go on. Status or not, all will at least have access to justice whether they want it or not."

Nastily I asked, "Well if you pretended to get the stuffing beat out of you to make your point, it was a silly bit of theatrics and completely unnecessary."

"No ... no that was real. It seems that I've pried open a lid on something that has even more stench to it than a little financial fraud. Which leads me to ask Widow ... could you be ready to leave by morning?"

Shocked I asked, "Excuse me?"

"I know I meant to give you another day but I have business to discuss with the Guardian and Chancellor but I don't feel comfortable having you follow of your own accord."

"I ... I suppose ..." I looked around thinking what could be left behind.

Something must have shown on my face because he said, "Easy there. I have hired some help and they should be here shortly if you agree. Tell the two girls what you wish packed and how and the two young men will load the trunks into the wagon I see you've pulled around for that purpose." When he saw me open my mouth on a protest he added, "I said I hired Widow Linder. Whatever the expense I'll pay if it gets me my way."

Flustered I said, "I need to speak with Nat."

"He is the one bringing the helpers. He will ride with us to the rail and while he goes west we will load onto the cars heading north."

"The rail?" I asked shocked. I'd only ridden it once and that was to visit my sister wives' relatives in Paduck.

"Aye."

"But ... but Nanny, and my fowl ..."

"Will be placed in a livestock car."

"Argh! Fine ... but ..."

"But what?"

"I don't even know where I will be staying when we arrive. I cannot go back to my old room. What if I go to the trouble of packing all this only ..."

"No, your old rooms are now occupied by my sisters. What James proposed, and Tomas has already agreed to, is the building that was being used by Widows Ceena and Tonya as the Dower House. They had it cleaned up and decorated and were living there before they became ill. It hasn't been opened since it was sealed at their deaths and will require cleaning. Tomas has also set a sum aside equal to what they received for redecorating and repairs as they become needed."

"The old overseer's house? They had mentioned something about turning it into the Dower house as they said it had been used as such by other widows to the Guardians over the years."

The Sheriff laughed and then groaned at the pain he had caused himself. "Indeed. You are probably the youngest Dowager ever to live there."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"I warned you that your insistence on spending so much time on the platform would lead to this."

I shrugged while attempting to shake most of the coal dust from my hat and my hair. "I don't care. I was not going to sit and stitch while the world went by. I may never have the chance to do this again and don't want to miss anything."

"As you wish Widow."

I looked at the Sheriff and noticed he seemed a bit distracted. "You're as bad as Nat. I don't need a babysitter. If you have work to do or papers or just would like some other company beside my own I won't pitch a fit ... nor will I pitch over the railing. I'm perfectly capable of standing without someone standing over me."

Curiously he asked, "You do not care for my company do you?"

I looked at him. "Is the Sheriff asking or the man who wears the title?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that the one appears to feel compelled to be nice for some reason and the other may be nice but is not above using me for his own ends which makes me ... cautious. Both seem to be a bit silly on occasion and neither seem to consider that I may be concerned at what I will find when I return to Linderhall and how quickly I will need to make plans for when I leave there."

"You assume that you will leave."

I looked at him closely. "That statement could be perceived as a threat."

He sighed in frustration. "It was not meant as such. Must you be so suspicious?"

"I have found it healthier to be so."

"How so?"

"Let us just say, I do not like being used and certainly not for purposes I do not understand."

"You are still angry about the Waverly event."

"Not angry ... let us say disappointed. I thought I had left all that nonsense behind me. Now here I am returning to it. I agreed to come for Marta's sake, but I have no wish to play the politics game. I will not be used like that again. Do not expect me to attend events."

"You are family. Your presence will be expected."

"I am family only by marriage and barely that. I am much more comfortable below stairs and will keep to myself."

"People will talk."

I shrugged. "Let them. It's not like it wasn't that way before."

"Ceena and Tonya did not moderate it?"

I snorted. "Cenna and Tonya instigated most of it ... to keep me in my place."

The Sheriff was quiet for a moment then said, "We got off on the wrong foot. I have already said that the Waverly event did not go as I expected it to but you've never allowed me to explain why."

"No explanation is necessary," I told him having already worked out his purpose some time past. "You expected me to reveal something about myself, some inner flaw perhaps. You had some preconceived notions about my character or personality. You left me so that I'd have no protection and would have to fall back on what I knew best. And you thought then that you'd have me nailed down. Am I wrong?"

With pinched lips he muttered, "No. But ... damnation you are hardheaded. You have forced me to completely re-evaluate the whole of it that Tomas, James, and I spent long hours working out. And it does not reflect well on my family."

"What has your family do to with it? My husband was your father's cousin. Forgive me for being blunt but both are dead. I knew your father not at all and my husband barely any better. That is not family Sheriff ... that is an accident of birth and marriage, nothing else."

"We still have a duty to right some of the infernal ... damnation you are hardheaded."

I shook my head. "You are beginning to repeat yourself." I stepped to the basin of water set there for washing then turned to him and said, "I am going to help Mizz Marta get back on her feet. And because I feel some loyalty to those Below Stairs that eased my life in the small ways they were able to. I am not going there with plans to stay Sheriff. I don't belong there."

"And just where do you imagine you belong? Harper?"

"Not Harper, not any longer. And where I will go after Linderhall I am not yet certain. Perhaps I have many places I have yet to go before I find where I belong. Who knows? Whatever or where ever ... it is not your problem, nor will I take any actions that would cause the Sheriff of Tentuckia to consider me his problem."

"What of Daren Linder then?"

I looked at him in surprise and then sighed before I started chuckling. "Oh Sheriff, you are good I will give you that but I have had the desire for romantic theatricals ground out of me. Go practice your play acting on someone else. You are merely bored. Once you get back to Linderhall there will be plenty for you to do."

The Sheriff tried to look offended but ended up smiling instead. "Well, it was worth a shot. Most sixteen year olds would have fallen for it. Nancee rather expected you to form an infatuation for me. But a word of warning, do not try any playacting of your own with my brothers for they are both married."

"Tell you sister Nancee she is giving you an undeserved oversized head. Besides, for all I know you are married though why you think I'd bother being concerned about it or the matrimonial status of your brothers is beyond me."

"Ceena and Tonya seemed to consider it important."

I snorted. "Ceena and Tonya could recite the genealogies of most of the old families in Tentuckia and many of the not so old families. Even some of the families in other regions. They kept volumes on the subject."

"You exaggerate."

"I assure you I do not. And when notices of births and marriages came in for recording they would not allow them to be filed until they had approved the entries. It was one of the few things our husband twitted them on."

A man I recognized as one of the Sheriff's outriders came into the rail car and said, "The conductor says there's a disturbance on the track up ahead."

The Sheriff became all business and snapped at me, "Stay inside the car." He left going forward to the engine.

In less than a minute the rail began to slow and then it jerked to a stop. I heard some shouting and then several men running to the front of the train. Less than a minute later the car door facing the back of the train opened and I turned to find a man rushing at me.

I dodged and as I did so I released the knife I carried in a sheath on my wrist. It was one my father had made for my mother and Nat had suggested after her death that I start carrying it, partly as a reminder and partly for my own protection since he was still working long hours in the church hospital. It wasn't a large knife by any means but it was sharp and when the man grabbed me and tried to pull me backwards out of the car I used it to stab the big artery in his leg. I stabbed twice more before he became smart enough to release me. I gasped for air from where I lay and watched him flail and pass out before he could get further than the rear platform.

My throat and neck were sore but not dangerously so. I turned sharply as I heard the other door open and a man step in with a revolver in one hand but not held aggressively in my direction. "Easy Widder Linder. I'm a friend."

I croaked, "Forgive me sir if I'm unwilling to take that chance."

"Aye ... there's some rough characters amongst us for true that have deep grudges against the Linder family and wouldn't mind taking what they can get from you over it. But that's not me. I've a message for yer." When he saw I was listening he said, "These new Linders ... they bain't be like the old ones that knew their place and kept to it. They be getting up in everybody's bidness. They be messing with things they have no bidness messing wiff. Mark my words, they'll use you like an old saddle and leave yer out in the wet and cold."

"Everyone uses everyone."

"Mayhap ... but there's ways and then there's ways."

"Agreed. But if you expect me to go from the frying pan to the fire ..."

The man gave a surprised chuff of laughter. "It'll be fun ter hear how yers makes out. That attitude ought to give 'em pause ... or mayhap they'll have ter lose a nose or finger 'fore they figure it out. You just mind yerself. Thems is gonna get lessoned for butting in where they don't belong. Yer give 'em the message."

At a noise the man rushed passed me, out the rear door, and off the train. Outside I could see men scrambling for the ditches as a repeater gun blasted the side of the train. Being no fool I ducked as well but must have struck my head on something because everything went black.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Damnation, where is that woman?!"

"Easy Dar, she is on her way."

"And how do you expect me to explain to Tomas if I can't even manage to fetch a small scrap of a woman without getting her killed?"

I blinked my eyes open and found that I was in the sleeping car and on the bench that served as a bed. "Are you always this quarrelsome?" I asked. "It is headache inducing."

I tried to sit up but the two men crowded me. "Back before I skewer you both. I've had enough of men and puzzles for one day thank you very much," I snapped looking around for my knife.

"Forget that fang you carried. I've put it up for safe keeping. I have no desire to be ... er ... skewered anytime soon. And why didn't I know you carried such?"

"Because you've got manners despite being the Sheriff and have some false idea that I'm fragile. I'm a Woodsman's daughter. You're lucky I don't carry an axe around to cleave the heads of those that annoy me. Now move. And who is he? Never mind, he's a relation to you, I can see it clear as day. An infernal Linder."

The man's eyebrows tried to climb into his hairline but the Sheriff just smiled. "Not a Linder ... a Nealy ... from my mother's side. That's the side I take after. This is my cousin Ronald Nealy and he is a regional guard."

"How do you do?" I said to the man. "I beg your pardon for my foul temper but I really dislike being attacked."

"Uh ... of course ... I assure you the feeling is mutual Widow Linder." Turning to the Sheriff he said, "I'll return in a moment."

After Guard Nealy left I said carefully, "Your brother is making enemies."

He caught my meaning immediately. "Why do say you that?"

"I was given a message to pass along."

Once I'd repeated exactly what the man had said several times the Sheriff fell silent and thoughtful. I told him, "The one thing I learned during my tenure as one of the Guardian's wives was that the status quo was all important. Anything ... or anyone ... that disturbed or threatened the status quo could create problems far larger than the act or person should have been able to. Trouble like that ... it was an unexpected consequence of my marriage and what irritated my husband most. I still don't understand all of it but it didn't all lie at the feet of Ceena and Tonya's prejudices against me."

The Sheriff reached over and locked the door of the compartment we were in then placed his finger over his lips before whispering, "I hesitate to ask but how much did you know of your husband's ... habits?"

Confused I said, "I'm not sure what you mean?"

"Did you ever notice him sipping from a small, filligree flask?"

"Oh, you mean his stomach medicine."

"Is that what he called it then?" I was confused once again and he looked at me so compassionately that I was ready to bolt from the room. "Widow ... Leeda ... what he sipped can be used as a medicine of sorts but he shouldn't have been taking it. It was an opiate blend ... highly addictive but because of how it is processed has far fewer side effects. It is the addictive part that is concerning however. His valet told us that he had a fresh flask of his 'tonic' made up every morning. One flask should have left him comatose. The fact that he drank a flask of it every day without apparent behavioral effects speaks of an addiction of long duration." Carefully he asked, "How ... how often did you ... were you in ... in your husband's bed chamber?"

I wanted to scratch his eyes out. "THAT is none of your business."

"That rarely is it?"

"You ... you ..."

"Don't hiss and growl at me Widow. I wouldn't embarrass us both if this wasn't important. I need to know."

"Twice," I spat.

"Twice a week? Twice a month?"

"Just twice you ... you awful ..."

The Sheriff leaned back like he was shocked but then the shock faded and he nodded like the knowledge fit some kind of puzzle. "You can throw something at me later or help my sisters make me miserable but we need to finish this discussion."

Rudely I told him, "Stuff your discussion sideways."

"I almost wish I could. It's as uncomfortable for me as for you I assure you. The ... er ... infrequency of your ... interaction ... with your husband is probably part of the reason why you didn't recognize the symptoms despite your training; overuse of it leads to infertility and ultimately impotence. Marta mentioned he was too fond of his stomach medicine but he kept his ingredients for it a state secret and she never could find out what it was. He was heavily addicted to what he kept in that flask. Our family apothecary says that it is a very expensive version of a drug that is uncommon ... or should be uncommon ... in our region. The Great Council keeps track of the trade for security reasons."

"Should they not be doing something about something so evil?"

"It is not the GC's place to prevent people from being addicts and idiots if they so choose. The GC gets involved if taxes aren't paid on imports or there are disagreements between regions but beyond that they merely organize the various militias to protect the foreign borders and promote trade agreements. They turn away or sink most of the illegal drug ships before they dock because they usually carry disease or promote slavery - not because of the drug itself - but smaller shipments come by way of smugglers. It is the Guardians who guard against rampant problems of addiction by making sure that if someone does choose to consume substances that they do not hold public office, nor inherit office while under an addiction, and that if they break any other laws while under the influence that there is a further penalty."

"In other words if they aren't breaking any laws they can be as addicted as they can get away with being but if they are addicted and break a law the punishment is that much greater."

"Aye. Exactly. Except add that poverty due to addiction is illegal to relieve with charity. Tentuckia's only problems for several generations has been the occasional batch of poisonous liquor and attempted incursions of savages from the border lands between regions. Plus the occasional internal struggle with the anarchists."

"And plagues."

"We all suffer from the plagues of our day Leeda, politics will not inherently protect anyone from a germ. Nor will it make anyone inherently more vulnerable."

"Fine," I said thinking about what else the man had said.

"You're still thinking. Did you leave something out?"

"It's nothing I did not already know, I just didn't expect to be so ... so bluntly warned of it."

"And that is?"

"That the Linder family will use me as much as they can get away with."

"What?!"

"Oh climb down out of the luggage rack and stop acting so outraged. We both know it is a true fact. You may not even set out to intentionally use me but you're a Linder just like all the others that have come before you and I begin to think it is in your blood as much as it was in theirs. You claim to have no talent or patience for politics but you really do quite well when you aren't trying to pass yourself off as some harmless, lovesick puppy."

"I never ... well, I suppose I did. But only for a moment and because I was desperate."

"Don't get that desperate again. You look ridiculous trying to look wholesome and innocent. If you had an eye patch or something similar you'd look like a river pirate."

"I believe you are trying to insult me."

"Not trying, doing. You simply aren't cooperating. Now leave and go about whatever it is that Sheriff's do when rails are attacked. I wish to clean up and I'm not about to do it in front of you."

He stood up and gave a small bow. "I've sent for someone to look after you and make sure you are not injured."

"No need. I prefer to tend to myself. It is unnerving to have another woman helping me dress and undress."

"Well then let the unnerving begin because at least this once you will accept the help. Your neck is turning the color of vomited blackberries and you have red spots all over your face."

And so saying he turned and left. As soon as he closed the door I rushed to the small mirrored cabinet then nearly stomped my foot in exasperation. His description had been all too accurate.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Easy with her!"

"It's all right Widow, she's just a bit nervie after the ride. Just stay back and we'll handle her."

I didn't care, Nanny was never out of sorts yet here she was snapping and clacking her teeth together, looking to take a chunk out of someone. And since she was my steed I would not be told to stay back.

"Easy girl ..."

"Widow!"

"Suck wind," I muttered under my breath and continued to do as I please. As soon as Nanny got my smell she shook off the boy that had been trying to bring her down the ramp off of the livestock car and stepped over to me to complain. "I know, I know. It's all right. Your sensibilities are overset. There now ... I'm right here. And yes you may sniff and wuffle all you wish but please keep the slobber to a minimum."

I heard some boyish sniggers behind me and turned. There stood the Talbot brothers, both looking a foot taller than when I had left early in the Spring but undoubtedly the same stinkers as well if their redheaded, freckle faced grins were any indication. "Hello Jode, Jude."

They took their hats off and bowed but could not seem to take their smile off. "You think she'll let us take her? We brought some carrots."

Nanny's ears flickered at the word carrots and she gave the boys a considering glance. "If you really have the carrots I believe she will appreciate the attention."

"Yes'm." They pulled out carrots nearly as identical looking as they were and Nanny gave me a look as if to say "Now this is some like."

I walked her over to the boys and held her lead until I was sure she was more herself. Carrots are Nanny's weakness and she barely gave me a half glance when I turned to supervise the rest of my livestock. "Easy there! Those are chickens not bed pillows. Don't throw their cages around like that!"

Jode tapped my elbow and said, "Da told us that if you wish it, we can drive the wagon for you. We got word you'd be bringing Nanny there and some feather dusters and Joel built a good, sound coop for your biddies. It's right near the kitchen birds so they'll have some company to cluck with."

I bowed my head and said, "Tell your father and your brother that I appreciate their forethought very much as it is a thing I had been worrying about."

"Yes'm. Ma said you would. She said she'll see to them the same as she sees to the kitchen birds when you've duties that keep you busy."

They bowed again and scampered away taking Nanny with them before climbing into the seat of my old wagon.

I turned to find half the railyard staring. "Am I keeping you men from your work?"

They all suddenly found themselves some business to get busy with and I went in search of the Sheriff. I found him and Guard Nealy on the other side of a large tree biting their lips.

I rolled my eyes. "You both look like you have a stomach ailment. Perhaps you need a dose of oil to clean your systems."

Guard Nealy started coughing and shaking and then bowed and turned and walked quickly away. I looked at the Sheriff whose eyes were streaming and asked, "Does the insanity come from your mother's side or your father's?"

He lost it. I rolled my eyes and left him howling and went to collect my satchel from the items that hadn't been loaded onto my wagon. I placed my hat back upon my head and pinned it in place and then turned about looking for what conveyance we would be taking to the Hall.

The Sheriff stumbled over still wiping his eyes and said, "Dear Lord, Wendolyn will not know what to think."

"I will not act this way with her. She is the Guardian's wife and you said yourself she is ... a ... hmmm ... stickler."

"Yes, but she's no fussbudget. Tomas wouldn't stand for it. She's just a bit stiff and nervie. Get her relaxed and she's much more approachable. Problem is at the moment Widow she can't relax and it aggravates the other."

"Hmmm."

"I take it you recognized the boys."

"Yes, their grandfather is one of the gardeners and their father works in the vineyards. Their mother helps with the Linder fowls. I ..."

"You what?"

I shook my head. "They and the other belowstairs workers were kind to me." Shaking my head again, "It is rather late in the day Sheriff. I'm sure you have duties to attend to and ..."

"Trying to get rid of me?"

"In a word? Yes."

He sighed. "You'll have to bide my company a bit longer Widow. The Linder left word that he is home rather than entertaining and is eager to meet you."

"Botheration."


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The type of gas carriage used by traders and some of the wealthy families in the region were often noisy and smelled of someone's frying pan once they had gotten up and running. The one I rode in from the rail yard to the Hall was much quieter and definitely less smelly. In fact I will admit to enjoying the luxury of padded seats and a quieter ride after being so long on the rail. An unexpected pot hole woke me from a near doze and I looked around to see we were nearly at the Hall and my stomach began to knot.

When we pulled up to the Great Gate I noticed there were less than half the guards there had been last time I was there and I didn't recognize a single one of them. Driving down the long lane to the second gate I saw only about a third of the towers were manned.

Looking at the Sheriff with a scowl I said, "I thought you told me that none of the below stairs staff were killed."

"They were not," he said rolling up the window between us and the driver. "Why do you ask?"

"Lack of attendants at the gate and security points. And why are you doing that? I thought you said the driver was your man?"

The Sheriff sighed. "This isn't Harper, Widow. Nor is it the rail yard. There is a certain ... protocol ... that is expected at Linderhall and well you know it. The people that came with us from our holdings have expectations and feel their status has been elevated since ours has. You need to ... to be more careful in your speech and who you speak around."

I just looked at him. "If you expect me to fix this snarl then you need to let me do my job and be who I am. Do not start trying to confine me to how you think I should act. That type of thinking is likely what has caused the mess you say exists. You are trying to combine two households, change Guardians, and integrate the family into the neighborhood all in one fell swoop. And I can tell you pretty much what I am likely to find."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really Sheriff I-Care-Nothing-For-Status-But-Am-Lying-Through-My-Teeth Linder." I got a glare but didn't let it stop me. "The people from your old household have an attitude. 'Their' Linder is now in power and they are going to make good and sure everyone knows it. I saw it in the outrage some of your staff exhibited at the rail yard whether you saw it or not. The staff of Linderhall are likely wondering if they will lose their status if not outright be turned out by the new staff ... and the new staff have probably not helped calm those waters. Then comes the plague and too many people that are needed are lost and your family is at sixes and sevens trying to find your way through grief and unfamiliar duties. And rather than ask the existing staff to help and guide you, someone gets a stiff rump, stands on ceremony, and makes an even bigger mess of it all. You can't see your interior problems because you are having to deal with so many from the outside. But I can guarantee if you don't get the interior problems managed you'll never get the outside ones under control."

It looked like he was going to blow a gasket then his shoulders eased and he shook his head. "You see things too damn clearly. Trouble with the staff started almost immediately. Like I said upon investigating I thought it was primarily a matter of distrust ... but ... yes, I admit on reflection it is possible that the staff from our holdings have ... not helped."

"Sheriff, you are going to have to step back a bit. Let me feel things out with the old staff and give them time to feel me out. What has been broken so long cannot be fixed overnight. But let us get one thing straight ... I am not your spy below stairs. Unless I think it pertains directly to the job I have set for myself what I learn stays behind my teeth."

"I have not asked you to ..."

I snorted. "Not yet you haven't. Like I said however, you are a Linder by blood ... you won't be able to help yourself. You'll try and manipulate me and push me and not even truly realize that you are doing it ... or if you do you will be convinced you have only the purest of motives. Mr. Barlow the ... the deceased Sheriff ... was just like that. He too was some distant connection of my husband, just like Mizz Marta only on the other side."

"Marta is a Linder connection?! She never said."

I could tell he was irritated. I shrugged and told him, "If you had bothered to read the staff files you would have seen it. And she's not the only one, simply the closest by blood. Many of the older staff are distantly related to the Linders even if they have to go back to the Days of Destruction to make the connection."

"The staff files are missing."

Surprised I asked, "I beg your pardon. What do you mean missing?"

"Exactly that. Father ... Father did something with them and we can't find what."

I had a suspicion but I wasn't going to say anything ... not to the Sheriff.

It was at that moment that we arrived at the Hall. The Sheriff helped me out and told the driver and outrider to take the rest of my luggage to the Dower House. As they pulled away the door to the Hall opened and we climbed the stairs and entered in.

The entry way was dim so it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust but when they did I caught sight of the older man standing to the side. "Mr. Holman!"

He tried, he really did, but rather than stand straight and tall and proud as the Head Butler had when I left he started coughing and nearly fell. "What are you doing up with a cough like this?! Surely you didn't risk your health for me! Here ..." I turned to look and told the Sheriff, "Don't just stand there, pull that chair over."

The Sheriff blinked but then did just as I bid him, scandalizing a maid that had come to take our cloaks. I wanted to stick my tongue out at her but satisfied myself with a cold stare that had her giving me a belated bow and then hurrying to hang the cloaks on hooks near the door. Mr. Holman finally got his breath and shook his finger at me, "You shouldn't be speaking like that. That's the Sheriff."

I snorted. "I know. But he's human ... most of the time ... and has explained I am come to help to get things settled, so he can help when I bid him to. Besides, Linderhall will not settle until its head staff are able to rest enough to regain their health." I patted the older man's arm. "What would we do without the likes of you and Mizz Marta?"

The older man's pale cheeks glowed a healthier pink for a moment before becoming pale again.

I heard the Sheriff snapping his fingers. "You there ... Boy. Is Doctor Cummins around?"

"Aye Sir," stuttered a boy who had been peeking around the corner.

"Well see that he is told I wish him to visit Mr. Holman before the curtains are drawn." The boy continued to stare until the Sheriff said, "Move." He scampered quickly enough after that encouragement.

"Ah, thank you sir. It's just this cough ... it lingers."

"Think nothing of it Holman. The Widow is correct, this Hall wouldn't be the same without you. Do you require assistance?"

"No Sir. But I will return to the staff lounge if you've no objections."

"None at all. But before you go could you perhaps tell me which infernal sitting room The Linder is in?"

"The Blue one sir."

Mr. Holman walked slowly away but I could see that the Sheriff was trying to remember which blue room that might be as there were several. I told him, "It is the one next to the Library."

He nodded in relief. "Of course ... damnation, which Library?"

I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my smile and then said, "The Linder's personal library most likely ... down the hall from his personal chambers."

"Lord, we need colored arrows around here like they do at the meeting houses of the Great Council. We'd all get lost far less often."

"It's not that bad," I told him.

"Says you. Do you know how many blue sitting rooms are in this place?"

"Six."

"I ..." He stopped and then grinned. "You've counted."

"If you think the number of sitting rooms is confusing you should try counting the bedrooms. It even boggled the mind of my comportment teacher and hardly anything ruffled that woman's feathers. Lucky for me I inherited a natural ability to never find myself lost from my Woodsmen clan. As I heard it, four generations back the Guardian of that era had eight wives at one time and each wife demanded her own private suite of rooms under The Linder's roof rather than in their own cottages as had been the tradition before that. Each suite encompassed what was basically a private home and was built to house not only the Guardian's wife but their offspring and all her private staff and any guests they might choose to invite for a stay. They were also to be decorated in the style of the home they left behind as a reminder of where they each came from. It took nearly ten years to complete the work and that was the last time that Linderhall was built out though some interior redesigning and modernizing has been done off and on since."

"I thought you knew nothing of the genealogies," the Sheriff said suspiciously.

"No, I said it was not considered something necessary for me to know, not that I knew nothing at all about the family history. Though in truth I know more about the Hall itself than about the family that has always lived under its roof. The staff take pride in their work and explained bits and pieces of it to me. For instance, the sitting room that we are walking to is one of the original rooms and there is a series of trap doors in there that lead deep into the sub-cellar ... an escape method left over from the Days of Destruction though no longer the deep, dark secret it once was."

"Trap doors? Surely you jest. There's a few hidey holes but ... but no ... damnation. Just how much has been kept back on purpose?"

"More than likely my husband's secretary showed your father. That's the traditional way such information changed hands when a new Guardian took over. It is why the position of the secretary is so important. Whether your father had time or saw fit to show your brother ...?" I shrugged. "What happened to Mr. Whitt?"

"He was among the dead. My father had taken him on as secretary as Father's previous secretary had preferred to stay at our other holdings and serve my brother Gerald."

I stopped in sudden consternation. "How many brothers do you have?"

"Five. Tomas is The Linder. Gerald inherited Father's former holdings. James now carries the responsibility of Chancellor. Our brother Richard is in the Regional Guard. Then a young half-brother named Rickerson at university studying agriculture who is Dwen's son. I also have a step brother who is Dwen's son from her first marriage, but we only see him rarely as he prefers his logging holdings in the Northeast. He wanted to take his mother's body and bury her in her birthplace but later agreed to abide by her will and let her be buried beside Father. It was a great concession as he and Father never really got on."

"Good Heavens. And the two sisters correct?"

He grinned. "Incorrect. If you do not count my sister in laws I have six sisters." He laughed at the look on my face. "We Linders are a prolific lot." When he saw my expression following his statement he said, "Damn my mouth. You'd figure a Sheriff would have more control of that orifice."

"No. You merely speak the truth. And it appears the problem may have been one of my husband's own making. But could we simply name your sisters and ... and pass over the rest of it?"

He sighed but agreed. "Melissa and Marjorie are married and on holdings of their own. They are older than Tomas and I barely remember them living at home. Then April who is between James and I in age and ... and she will not marry."

"Why?" I asked since it seemed such a strange thing to say.

"When we were children she and our sister Chell were playing in the orchard. Men came out of the hedge, and kidnapped both girls and their nanny. The woman was eventually able to escape but with only one of the girls. A ransom was made but before Father could pay it they'd been attacked by the savages whose land they had tried to escape to. It was three more months before Father and his men found her. The damage had already been done."

Quietly I told him, "I will wait for her to tell me if she wishes to."

"That would be best. April is ... she is very strong but ... well, you'll see. And Chell ... well, she has her own problems from the experience but it did not stop her from marrying. He's a diplomatic envoy with the Great Council. Tomas sees her more than the rest of us do."

"That's four ... and then I know you have a younger sister named Nancee."

"Yes," he said as we climbed the last set of stairs. "Quite a hike. No wonder none of the Linders in the portrait gallery have ever been portrayed as fat." Having thought the same thing more than once I remained silent. "Nancee is Dwen and Father's daughter. And then the baby is Liesel. Between Nancee and Liesel is Rosalee. We almost lost her to the plague as well and ... her health has not returned yet either. She occasionally becomes confused and cries so we've made an area of the nursery for her to wander about in though she is beyond the age of needing it."

I made note to ask Marta what she prescribed for healing and whether people were cooperating or ignoring her good sense. And then we stopped in front of a closed wooden door that the Sheriff knocked on.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The door opened and a pinched faced man answered. I didn't recognize him but the Sheriff did as he grinned and said, "Is my brother in Kirkwood?"

If possible the man looked at me and got even more pinched up. To poke a bit and see how he reacted I added, "And please tell him the Widow Linder awaits his pleasure."

The man looked behind me and then back at me but I refused to enlighten him. He made the wrong assumption and turned to the Sheriff and said, "Please tell the Widow Linder's maid that ..."

The Sheriff saw my move and quickly moved to try and forestall it. "The lighting in this hallway needs improving if you think the Widow has a maid standing behind her."

The shock on Kirkwood's face was almost theatrical. A voice in the room asked, "Why are you just standing there? Come in already."

The Sheriff gave me a warning look and then led me in. A woman sat at a stitching hoop working on some intricate design of white on white, probably meant for their baby. A man sprawled on a sofa with papers in stacks all about him. They spied me about the same time. "A little warning Daren," the man growled.

The Sheriff shrugged, "I received a message from Thornsby that you were awaiting our arrival and we came straight here."

The man shook his head in irritation. "I told him it wasn't necessary that you come straight here. I expected you would wish to stop and clean up and get the kinks out." He turned to me, "Pardon Widow, I'm afraid ..."

The woman interrupted in a voice I can only describe as prissy. "I am sure that the Widow Linder is not interested in our little problems."

My turn. "Aahh, but Mrs. Linder, your comfort is the reason for my presence. I have heard of the joyous event pending and of all the work you have to do getting to know the surrounding families and helping The Linder secure the succession. That is a necessary task of great importance. So, if I may? I would like to lend you my support by managing some of your other burdens."

She opened her mouth on an immediate refusal, I could see it in her eyes, but I beat her to the punch. "I know, truly I do. The Sheriff has told me how you feel so responsible that you've even limited the aid you will accept from your sister in laws." I gave a look of particular understanding that she could read exactly how she wished to read it but meant what I wished it to mean. "However, as a widow of a former Guardian, it is my pleasure to fulfill my duty and responsibility so that you may focus your full energies where they will serve The Linder and your status best."

She blinked and I knew I had her. "Oh ... well yes ... I do need more time in certain areas of responsibility. If you truly feel led ..."

"Allow me to start tomorrow morning?" I asked carefully.

"Well ... yes ... I do believe that will serve. I have a great many preparations to make with regard to a visitation to the Vanburens."

"A family much involved with the local missions," I said, knowing the family of whom she spoke. "Their second oldest grandson was away at seminary when my husband passed but got leave to come back for the funeral. He gave one of the prayers."

"Did he? I had not heard that. Did he receive a letter of appreciation?"

"The Widow Ceena would have seen to it but I am sure that now that you know you'll say something to Mrs. Vanburen. Timothy - the young man in question - is her pride and joy."

She nodded. "Thank you for sharing that with me. It will give me something to start on. It was a great surprise to me to find out that the Linders and Vanburens didn't socialize much."

It wasn't a surprise to me but I didn't say such. Ceena and Tonya had practiced the religion of their mothers rather openly and did not care for the Vanburens who could be sticklers about church matters. Below stairs gossip could sometimes come in handy and I realized I would need to dredge some up to feed Wendolyn to keep her from making enemies where none needed to be made.

The Linder glanced at his wife who had gone back to contentedly stitching and said, "You will excuse us Wendolyn but I wish to ask Daren and Widow Linder a few questions."

"Of course," she said inclining her head in our direction.

The Linder led us through a connecting door and then closed it and went to a cabinet. "Drink Daren?"

"Better not. Missed dinner and I still have much to discuss with James."

"Someone taking my name in vane?" asked a man coming down the spiral staircase that led to a series of bookcases arranged on a ledge above the main floor of the library.

The Sheriff and the Chancellor clapped each other on the back and I could see they were closer than they were with their elder brother ... or perhaps simply more demonstrative about their closeness.

The Linder looked at me closely and seemed to be debating offering me a drink. Despite my status, my youth seemed to stump him. I asked him, "Do you mind if I pull water from the tap?"

He blinked which I was beginning to realize was a reaction when this branch of the Linders was trying to figure out what to say. I stepped over to a book case and slid it back revealing a small basin, water tap, and some crystal goblets. I turned the tap and let it run for a moment and then put a goblet under the tap to catch some water. I slid the bookcase closed and then turned to find all three men staring at me.

The Sheriff sighed. "You know, you could simply tell us."

I shrugged. "Where's the fun in that? Not to mention this way at least lets you retain some pride or pretend you knew it was there all along."

The Sheriff rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. The Chancellor gave a slow grin and looked at The Linder who ultimately said, "Tell me in private and I won't need to pretend. Is there anything else like this I should know about?"

I named off several features and then was asked to show them. At the end The Linder asked, "Are there more?"

"Not in this room."

"Which means there are in other areas of the house."

"There's something in most of the rooms but the oldest parts of the Hall have the most ... relics of the Days of Destruction such as the trap doors I just demonstrated."

"And the staff knows of these features and did not mention them?" The Chancellor asked in a bit of temper.

"The Senior staff do certainly ... they are how I know. And most of the understaff probably know but not even hot pokers would make them betray the family's secrets. They likely assume that you know."

"Why would they assume that?" he said still unmollified.

"Because the secretary would have made a point to show your father and your father should have made a point of showing you. Consider it inherited knowledge. What I do not understand is why Ceena and Tonya didn't Lord it over you and show you how much they knew."

The Chancellor opened his mouth and then closed it while The Linder gave an irritated shake of his head. "Father and the widows had a disagreement early on. They were extremely rude to Dwen - Father's Consort - and after Father spoke to them twice and they did not moderate their behavior he forbid them the Hall until they could treat her with respect."

I whistled. "That must have gone over well."

All three men shrugged nonchalantly. I turned to the Sheriff and asked him, "Do you remember what I told you about the status quo?"

"Yes," he answered slowly after thinking for a moment.

"Ceena and Tonya's father was a tribesman from the Borderlands."

The Sheriff blinked.

"And their mothers were the daughters of important men that ruled two rather large and dangerous families of traders whose holdings once included Old Paduck."

"Are you telling me they are from a family of pirates?!"

"You might call them that and not be far off, so long as you called them wealthy and connected pirates. The marriages sealed a deal of nonaggression and allowed my husband to broker trade agreements in territories that no other Guardian before him had managed to. Ceena and Tonya were nearly as young as I when they came here as brides. And they maintained their family connections despite over twenty-five years of separation."

"Well damnation."

"You've begun to say that quite often."

All three men looked at me but it was the Sheriff who said, "I have a feeling the frequency is going to increase."


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

I stretched and then nearly fell off the sofa seat that I had chosen to sleep on. I stood up and walked to the nearest window and looked out to see that the sky was just beginning to turn pink, my preferred hour at this time of year to wake up and start the day. And I certainly had a long day ahead of me.

It had taken a hacksaw to get the rusted padlock off the door and by that time it was too dark to do much more than make sure there were no monsters hiding in any closets or under any beds. I sent off the young men sent by someone called Mr. Clark and turned to look at my temporary living quarters.

First was to decide which bedroom would be mine but since I was sure I didn't want to use any of the rooms until they have been thoroughly cleaned I decided to sleep on the sofa since there was no staff to see and get affronted by it.

I dressed quickly then had a light breakfast of some of the traveling food I had fixed for my journey. It left no mess to clean up but a bit of wrapping paper and that I twisted and placed in the tinder basket near the kitchen fireplace. I carried my apron over my arm and then headed out to try and catch some of the staff at their breakfast in the staff dining hall.

The Talbot boys saw me coming and one held the door for me while the other bolted down a hall. I heard benches and chairs being moved and when I entered I caught the different expressions on various faces. The ones that knew me were unsurprised and even welcoming. The ones that didn't ranged from worry to disdain.

"Goodness, please I did not mean to interrupt."

All but a few began to sit down. Some remained standing stiffly.

"Is there something you wish to say?" I asked them.

A prune faced woman said, "Your are the Widow?"

I inclined my head.

"You do not belong here."

"Well, you are certainly free to have your own opinion about that."

My answer flummoxed her. "But you are the Widow Linder."

"I had thought that was already an established fact."

"You ..."

I gave a slight smile but inside I wanted to stamp my foot. "I had hope to give you a few days but I suppose, to forestall any issues or create problems for Mrs. Linder perhaps it is best that I make things clear up front."

I looked around and tried to hold onto my pleasant expression. "The household has been through a trying time. I have been told that there have been ... let us call it a bit of confusion during a stressful transition. But the time is over for that to any longer be an excuse. I am here to make sure that the transition continues in a much calmer and constructive fashion so that The Guardian and the other Linders can see to their responsibilities without the interference of ... delays." I looked at the boards that lined one side of the dining room and saw with surprise they were blank. "Where are the schedules?"

The prune-faced woman said, "In my office."

"They do not belong in your office. They belong written upon the boards here so that all might see them."

"That is not the way we do it."

I did not like her tone. "I suggest you rethink your answer Mizz ... ?

When she did not give me her name Jode Talbot whispered, "That's Mizz Kinsey. She was the housekeeper at old Guardian's holdings."

I knew I would have to tread lightly. "You were aware that Linderhall already has a housekeeper?"

Her nostrils flared and she said, "I was to have the care of the Guardian's private quarters."

"And do you now?"

She swallowed and then complained, "Final arrangements have been impossible to make with everything at sixes and sevens."

"Well I am here now and the sixes and sevens will cease. Fetch me the schedules. Now. The Guardian was quite explicit last night as to his wishes and his wishes were that Linderhall return to its former efficiency. And that is exactly what will occur." When she still stood there I said, "Starting with the schedules being posted for all to see. Transparency Mizz Kinsey. It prevents abuse of status, inadvertent and otherwise." Turning to the rest of the staff I said, "This is merely a reminder to some but status grants responsibilities, not rights. The greater your status the greater your responsibilities ... and in particular the responsibility of preventing abuse. The Guardianship of Tentuckia has always stood on the principle that all, regardless of status, are treated justly and are free of abuse. The Sheriff has assured me that regardless of where someone stands in the line of status, they will be treated equally under the law. The Chancellor said much the same to me last night. And the Guardian sealed it even further by stating that they are starting the way he means for the family to go, by making sure that there are no injustices in the incomes or taxes."

I sighed.

"But The Guardian and those under his authority cannot accomplish these tasks among the people of the region if their own home does not reflect those values."

Mrs. Kinsey interrupted my speech. "I am sure Mrs. Linder will have something to say of this."

"Indeed. She already has," I replied. "She gave me leave last night to set this part of the household in order so that she might focus her energies on the neighboring families and on the pending arrival of the heir. It behooves us all not to cause her any more stress than she is already under because the wife of the Guardian or not, she is still a pregnant woman. Her health will not be jeopardized under my watch. Do I make myself clear to everyone present?"

There was a lot of nodding all around. Everyone knew the dangers of childbirth. I continued, "I am well aware that everyone here has been under considerable strain and many are still recovering from the deadly illness that struck Linderhall. It is my intent to make this better for everyone ... but if I find someone is intentionally causing problems I will not hesitate to take action. I will not abuse my status but I won't be rolled like a sausage either. It is time for all of us to get to work, with a common goal. I do not wish to see the Great Council stick their nose in here."

"They'd never," said a man who reminded me of a frog.

"Oh yes they would. And the Mayor's Council could cause problems as well. If you thought living at Linderhall and being the Guardian was like being some great king of old you are badly mistaken. The Guardianship is a position of servitude to the people, not one of the people serving the Guardian. And as you have given your word to work for the Guardian by being here at Linderhall you too now serve the people of Tentuckia by making the Guardian's job easier, not more difficult."

I turned to Mr. Holman and said, "I am aware that the health of so many has precluded a normal schedule but if you and the other upper staff could put together a list of the most pressing matters that need attending I will try and provide a schedule since Mrs. Kinsey has failed to do so."

"I have not failed," that lady intoned like an outraged goose.

"Oh yes, you have. I gave you multiple opportunities to fetch the schedules you said were in your office. You failed to do so. That only leaves me with the understanding that the reason you did not fetch them is because they do not exist. If you think to stave me off and twit the Guardian's wife about my orders you can save the effect. She will be unavailable to you for the duration. I will have a word with Dr. Cummins to make sure of this and if you persist I will take it to the Guardian directly even if it means bypassing the Chancellor to do it."

She paled but remained sitting which only reinforced in my mind that her so-called schedules were non-existent, made up as she went along, or reflected so much favoritism that even I would be able to tell.

I sighed in real disappointment. I had not wanted it to devolve into me pulling so much status on my first day back at the Hall. It was depressing. Speaking to Mr. Holman again I asked, "Has Mizz Marta had her breakfast yet?"

"Mrs. Cooksey should be making it up right now."

"Thank you."


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I left the dining hall and turned to enter the kitchens. They were clean but not the type of clean that I was used to seeing in Mrs. Cooksey's domain.

I saw her before she saw me. There was no laughter or singing as I was used to hearing and when she did spy me she stopped for a moment and then raised her apron to her eyes and started crying.

"Oh Mrs. Cooksey," I said rushing forward.

"Marta said thee vould come but I vas afraid to believe it."

"Well I am here. Not even the Hammers of Destruction could keep me away once I'd heard she'd asked for me."

"Ja, ja ... and now that thee are, vee vill get this messy Hall in order. Yoost look at my kitchen, yoost look."

"Actually is looks like you've done marvelously under the circumstances that I've heard of. I'm more concerned at the moment with the larder."

"It is a terrible mess," she said banging pots and pans around. "A terrible, terrible mess."

"Is it difficult ... well not difficult exactly as I've seen you make a meal fit for a Great Council banquet out of the rudest of ingredients ... is it more challenging than you would feel is appropriate to put together meals?"

"Ja, ja ... there are many thinks vat needs to be replenished. Soom will come viff the harvest but soom need to come from the towns." She looked at me then around and whispered, "They've not been listening to Mr. Tosh."

"Them?"

Mrs. Cooksey nodded. "And him being how he is ..."

"I'm afraid you'll need to speak plainer for me to understand."

In an even quieter whisper she said, "They are taking only coin in and not the guuds ... for the income and taxes."

It was my turn to blink. But I didn't need to say anything as Mrs. Cooksey just nodded.

A girl I didn't recognized came into the kitchen and then stopped when she saw me. Mrs. Cooksey smiled and said, "Alyce this is thee Vidow Linder. Vidow Linder this is Alyce, she is a very goot girl. She has been much help viff Marta."

"How do you do?"

If possible the girl's eyes got wider and then she smiled shyly. "Fine thank you ma'am." She turned to Mrs. Cooksey and said, "Mizz Marta is ready for her tray."

"Hah. You mean she is vedy to pick at her tray."

I asked, "She is not eating properly?"

Mrs. Cooksey rolled her eyes. "Vould that voman eat a bit more she vould get vell faster. But no. She vorries and vorries for the rest of us and tinks nuffing for herself."

Mrs. Cooksey threw up her hands and I decided to see for myself. "Alyce, have you had your breakfast yet?"

"No ma'am."

"Then please why don't you sit and have a bite and let me surprise Mizz Marta by being the one to take her tray in."

Mrs. Cooksey nodded, "Ja, ja ... surprise the voman. Maybe she vill forget her troubles long enough to eat rather than simply push de vood around on her plate."

I picked up the tray and went down another hall and stopped in front of a door once clearly labled "Housekeeper's Quarters" but the brass plate was now missing. I tried not to but I got a mean feeling for a certain woman that I'd only just met. Setting that aside for the moment I turned the knob and walked in and set the tray upon a small table.

"Thank you Alyce. Go eat dear. I'll be out in a moment."

"Actually, Mrs. Cooksey thinks I should watch you to make sure that you eat rather than just push the 'vood' around."

I heard something fall and rushed through to the sleeping chamber to find Mizz Marta sitting up with a very surprised look on her face. I don't know who opened their arms first but we wound up in an embrace. It terrified me to feel how thin she was beneath her uniform and to see how truly pale and ill she looked.

"Well this is completely out of bounds. Has this household not been seen by a doctor at all? First Mr. Holman nearly coughs up a lung last night and now you looking so pale."

"Do not start Leeda ... uh ..."

I sighed. "I know protocol requires you to call me Widow but could we at least dispense with it in private? I know it's true but ... it still bothers me to be called that by people who knew me before."

"Remarry and no one will need to."

"Nat told me the same thing and I will tell you what I told him ... yuck."

She patted my cheek. "Perhaps with time your 'yuck' will pass."

I surprised her by saying, "Perhaps. But that is not what I wish to speak of. I've come to do the job you've set for me and ... oh Mizz Marta ... I had no idea things were so bad. The Sheriff spoke of there being problems but this is ridiculous. Half the staff at less than half strength. No schedules. And those that are up and about seem to be at cross purposes. What were they thinking trying to integrate so much at once?"

"It is really only a few of the staff from the other holding causing the worst of the problems on this level."

"Let me guess, that Mrs. Kinsey is one of them."

Marta nodded. "She has some sway it is true."

"She's about to sway herself out of the top of a tree. She disobeyed a direct instruction from me ... in front of the entire dining hall."

Marta gasped. "Surely not."

"Surely she did. I don't have much time to move. I am going to use that Dr. Cummins to block her access to the Guardian's wife. I would love to stay - and I will be back later in the day if you are up for it - but ..."

"Go. And hurry. I believe she listened to the Widows Ceena and Tonya more than was healthy. She rather doted on them."

"Hah. That explains it more."

I kissed her cheek and secured a promise ... a real one ... that she would at least try to finish most of what was on her tray and then bolted in the direction I knew the upper staff offices to be.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I was almost there when the Sheriff waylaid me ... or tried to. "Move," I told him.

"Well you're in a mood."

"No I'm on a mission. And stay out of my way."

He let me pass but his curiosity got the best of him and he followed me to Dr. Cummins office and was there when I knocked on his door.

Someone called "Enter." I walked in and introduced myself. "I am the Widow Linder."

The doctor stood up quickly and came around. "Is someone ill?"

"That is what I am trying to prevent. I ..."

The Sheriff interrupted. "Don't stand on so much ceremony with him. He's another cousin."

I sighed and asked, "Which side this time? The sane or insane?"

My tone and words caused him to smile. "Oh definitely sane. He's the son of my father's sister."

"Lovely."

I turned to look at the man in question to find him leaning against his desk for a seat. "Had a lot to do with Daren have you?"

"Enough," I said. "But it is not the Sheriff and his peculiarities that I wish to discuss. Let me be frank, below stairs is a hideous mess. To order it properly is going to take all of my status and creativity. I spoke hastily this morning trying to head off a situation and now I need your cooperation."

Cautiously the doctor said, "If you will explain I will see if I can comply."

I turned to the Sheriff and said, "Shut the door, preferably with you on the other side of it unless you insist on being a busybody."

"Oh I definitely insist," he said with a glint in his eye.

"Fine, have it your way. But stay out of trouble and don't cause me any." To the doctor I said, "I suspect that part of the stress that the Guardian's wife is under is due in large part to household politics. People trying to prove they are needed above someone else, that they are a favorite, people getting comfortable with unfamiliar duties and higher status, the new staff trying to run things like they were run at your other holding except you don't make those kinds of changes in the midst of the mess that has been going on. Some appear to be claiming privileges they don't have or haven't earned, and that is only from one short meeting. A few seem to think their status gives them access to authority that they do not have and they are ... leapfrogging the chain of command if that makes sense."

The Sheriff said, "They're making an end run around and trying to go directly to the head."

"I suppose ... whatever what you just said means."

"It means that Mrs. Kinsey has been up to tricks again," the doctor interjected.

I relaxed a bit. "I would not call them tricks. They are much more harmful than that. She disobeyed a direct instruction from me."

Both mean said, "What?!"

"I don't wish to make too much of this yet. Perhaps she is just territorial and I will have to prove myself. That's fine, that I can deal with. But when I asked for the schedules she had stated she had them in her room. When I asked why they were not on the board in the dining hall like they were supposed to be she said it was because that isn't the way they did it at your other holding. I said she wasn't at your other holding, she was now at Linderhall and the way it is done here is complete transparency. I asked for the schedules not once but multiple times and she still did not produce them. That means either the schedules do not exist or she is refusing to produce them for some other reason ... either is unacceptable." I sighed. "And that's when I spoke precipitously. She threatened to take the issue directly to the Guardian's wife and I said that she no longer had such access because the stress of what was going on was endangering the heir."

"You may have spoken precipitously but you did not speak wrongly. And if you are asking me to support you on this I do and will inform the other staff that Mrs. Kinsey can ... leave a message with the Guardian's secretary."

I nodded. "Thank you. That should flummox her for a bit but I need to find a way to deal with this constructively and permanently."

"Why not request that she be sent back to my brother Gerald's holdings?"

I looked at the Sheriff and said, "Dunce. Because she doesn't have a place there anymore. I won't gain order here by simply exporting the problems to someone else. I think her lack of job may be the biggest problem. Apparently she was supposed to hold a special position here ... to take care of your Father's and his Consort's private quarters?"

Both men shrugged. "It was a possibility but no contract was signed."

"What was she supposed to do if not that?"

Neither man had a clue. "Her brother was father's valet but he is one of the upper staff that succumbed."

"OK, that's another reason she might be insecure. But you do realize I cannot allow that to continue to interfere with the running of Linderhall?"

The two men looked at each other. I could see their concerns before they even had to voice them. "If you think I am only going to pick out the staff from your other holding to make an example of you are wrong. Mrs. Kinsey is just the current nail sticking up that I will need to hammer on. I just need to know that I have your support in insulating the Guardian's wife from any unpleasantness that may arise."

I turned to leave but heard as I swept out the door, "Are you sure she is sixteen?"


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

All I did all day was run back and forth. Making sure Nanny and my cluckers were taken care of. Meeting with Mr. Holman, Mizz Cooksey, and Mr. Tosh, and then an early supper with Mizz Marta.

"I'm glad you insisted I stick with those infernal classes even when it meant missing a morning ride on Nanny. I know it was to keep my mind active and to finish out my training but believe me, I'm scrambling to remember all of the lessons now and very thankful for what I do remember."

Mizz Marta smiled tiredly. "It isn't memory you need but practice. Managing your own home is very different from managing an establishment the size of Linderhall. Even I find it challenging after so many years of few people living under this roof."

I shook my head. "It's not the size - I never had problems with those exercises in school - it is all the personalities ... especially the ones that seem to run cross purpose all the time. I just don't understand the need to make things more difficult than they need be naturally."

"Have you had any more issues with Mrs. Kinsey?"

"No, at least none that I've run into myself. I believe she had thought to out wait the staff guarding The Linder's private quarters but then was dumbfounded to be informed that the Guardian and his wife departed their quarters from a different exit and would be visiting away from the Hall for a few days."

"She is going to make a formidable enemy if you keep this up. I never understood why she left her former position. She does not seem to have any serious attachment to the Linder family singly or as a whole."

"You said she got along well with the Widows Ceena and Tonya."

"She did which surprised me. I'm not certain but perhaps she meant to go to them at the Dower House."

"What of her brother the valet?"

"They weren't brother and sister, they were former spouses."

"What? Are you sure? I was told ..."

"Oh yes. The local priest brought a copy of the marriage and divorce papers that had been forwarded to him so that they could be included in the staff files. In case of problems or some such was his reason I suppose." She sighed. "You need to be careful Leeda. Mrs. Kinsey can create problems.

I shrugged. "She started this tug o' war. If I back down now my status will mean nothing to the other staff and we'll be back to square one before we've barely left it." Rifling through the lists that I'd been given I shook my head. "I find it hard to believe that things got so bad in such a relatively short period of time. Every list speaks of shortages that are unnecessary. I've requested a meeting with the Chancellor."

"Gentle with your words Leeda."

I looked up and smiled. "I will." Then I bit my lip. "I am to meet him and his wife for a late dessert. I've met him but what is she like?"

"A new bride, painfully shy. It was arranged shortly before the old Guardian - your husband - became ill. She comes from a well-to-do family that bordered their other holding. I do not think she ... hmmm."

"Not another theatrical," I sighed.

"It is not like that. But she is young ... not too much older than you, perhaps eighteen. I also don't think she was allowed much training. She does like stitching and is actually quite talented at it."

"That's something to start with. And now I must go. You need your rest and I ... must beard one of the lions in their den."

She waved me off and her eyes were closed before I closed the door to her quarters. I almost backed into the girl named Alyce startling us both.

"I beg your pardon," she gasped.

"Actually it is I who should beg yours. I was not paying attention. May I ask you something?"

She nodded nervously.

"How is she really? She seems so unaccountably weak."

"Several of the old staff are ma'am. Dr. Cummins said it must be their age. But ..."

"But what?"

"But we've staff that came with us that are older and they've put off the illness faster. I worry ... Mizz Marta ... she's been kind to me. We weren't led to believe that anyone here would be. But ... but they have been. I hope the tonic Dr. Cummins has been prescribing works. They just keep getting weaker."

I patted her arm then walked away. My mind was going places it didn't want to. I had some time before I met with the Chancellor and I was going to change but then without really deciding to I found myself at the door of the Sheriff's office.

Before I could stop myself I knocked. There was no answer and I turned away. I was three steps down the hall when the door was opened and the Sheriff stuck his half shaven face out.

I turned and said, "Obviously I've ... I've come at an inconvenient moment but ..."

"What's this? What has you upset enough that you are being polite?" he asked with a friendly smile.

I don't know if he was trying to put me at ease or just what but it didn't work. I sighed and answered him, "Memories of having to be so suspicious of everyone and everything."

"Are you saying this to the Sheriff or to the man who wears the title?" he asked throwing my words back at me.

I shook my head and admitted, "Both. Please, a ... a moment of your time."

Becoming serious he opened the door and I stepped through as he wiped the remaining shaving soap from his face. It was a Spartan room done mostly in dark paneling, dark wood, and dark leather. Not even the gas lamps helped to lighten the atmosphere very much. A perfect office for an officer of the law. "Please, sit down."

I sat in a chair in front of the desk and he pulled a chair around and sat beside it. "You really are troubled."

"What can you tell me of Dr. Cummins?"

"He's married."

"If I didn't have so much on my mind your immediate assumption that I would care about that bit of information would irritate me."

"Perhaps you should simply tell me what is on your mind and I can tailor the information I have to your needs."

I looked to the heavens for guidance. "I haven't even been here a full day and I feel like I've been here a year longer than I was married." Shaking my head then looking at him I said, "Can you promise me that what I say here goes no further if it is just my imagination getting the better of me?"

"It depends. I don't like to give promises about things that I've not yet heard."

"Oh botheration."

"Easy Widow, just spit it out."

"You'll likely think I'm fit for a drama troupe but here it is. Based on who is getting well and who is not it seems that only the original staff here at the hall are still faltering. I mentioned something to Alyce ... she is a staff member from your father's holding ... and she is actually the one that brought it to my attention and she mentioned that Dr. Cummins stated that it was likely age ... but the new staff that were ill and of equal age or older have recovered in a way that far surpasses the existing staff of Linderhall. And then she let slip that Dr. Cummins had prescribed a tonic for those that were still ill but the old staff are only weakening. Do ... do you see what I am wondering?"

The Sheriff steepled his fingers. "I see it but John would never intentionally harm anyone. He takes his vow to do no harm so seriously he was nearly jailed for refusing to pick up a gun in defense of the university when he was still at studies. Father took John on to try and afford him some protection. Our society does not make it easy for men like him to live comfortably."

Guessing correctly, I asked, "He's a pacifist? You are sure?"

"Oh yes, definitely. And so is his wife's family. They are part of a small but very vocal group on the Mayor's Council."

I rubbed my forehead. "Then I need to speak to Dr. Cummins directly and pray he doesn't take affront at my questions." I looked at him and said, "Thank you for your time."

"Slow down. If you are still serious about this then I'll go with you."

"There's no ..."

"... every need."

I shrugged. Under normal circumstances I probably would have told him to stuff his presumption of what I needed him for but these weren't normal circumstances I was thinking.

"Very well."

"Humph. You must really be concerned if you aren't throwing a fit."

I looked at him cautiously. "Yes, I am. And I'm also worried about creating a situation that could be ... detrimental to the peace of the household and my own existence. But ... I just can't shake the concern and if something is wrong and I let status and fear of losing it keep me from my moral obligations ... I don't think I could live with myself."


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Dr. Cummins wasn't in. He'd been called to a difficult birth by a local midwife. I couldn't shake the feeling that time was running out.

The Sheriff asked, "Do you trust me?"

Startled I asked, "I beg your pardon?"

"Do you trust me to do my job?"

"I suppose I must. I came to you didn't I?"

"Well that's something I suppose. Go to your meeting with James and I'll nose around and then speak with John. Perhaps a few more facts and he'll be able to make heads or tails of your concerns."

I nodded and accepted that I was a poor detective as my nerves were shot. "Just don't leave it for long. Please."

"I won't," he said patting my shoulder.

I tried to refocus but was still somewhat distracted by the time I got to the Chancellor's suite of rooms. A woman let me in after my knock and escorted me to what was once called the Green Room. It had to do with the original purpose of the structure that eventually became Linderhall. Its history however escaped my memory as I was trying to focus on what was at hand.

"Widow Linder, thank you for joining us. Let me introduce my wife. Tosha, this is the Widow Linder."

I bowed and said, "How do you do?"

Barely above a whisper I heard, "Very well thank you. Won't you please sit down? I already have the cake ready. I hope that's all right."

I looked into her worried eyes and smiled. She reminded me a bit of Rom's sister Beth before she left to be married. They were both fairy story pale and blonde with perfectly arched brows and pink lips. She looked like a porcelain doll.

I sampled the cake and it was delicious. "This is wonderful. Perfectly moist but not at all squishy ... this is the way a real cake should be."

Her cheeks became a dusky rose and I received a small smile as well. I had been right, she'd baked it herself.

We made small talk and I did manage to get her to give her opinion on needlework around the Hall. "I hate to ask not knowing what responsibilities you already have but, would you mind looking around and seeing if there is any serious repair work that needs to be ordered? I'm trying to prepare schedules for the winter months and that is one thing I know less of than I should."

She glanced at me in surprise and then glanced at the Chancellor who in turn seemed surprised at her obvious happiness at the idea. "Tosha's very gifted in needlework," he told me. "Quite well-known for it in fact."

"Surely not," she whispered.

"Surely yes," I said. "At least so far as the fact that Mizz Marta pointed it out to me in particular and she's not one to praise without there being reason to."

In the end she agreed to have a look around and to actually save me the trouble of making a supply list as well. I told her, "You're a saint. That's all there is to it."

She had a pleasing laugh and I was happy that she went to her chambers with a smile while her husband and his scribe stayed to discuss other things with me.

When she had left the Chancellor looked at me and said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Tosha misses her family a great deal but they tend to overshadow her when we visit, especially her sisters. She was worried ... well, she worried for no reason."

"None at all. Though you may not think as kindly of me when we begin discussing these other cursed lists I hold in my hand."

And with that we were off and running. The Chancellor surprised me. He wasn't just an empty shirt with a title, he really knew what he spoke of.

After about an hour the Chancellor leaned back and said, "My father had desired the change from goods to coin in order to build the Hall's coffers back up. The pomp and circumstance of his predecessor's funeral drained quite a bit off. We've also found ... gaps ... in the assets where there should be none. I've been able to find record where an asset came in but not where the asset went out ... and yet there is no corresponding asset in the vaults. And he also spent an extraordinary amount on his 'medicine'."

I knew the subterfuge was for the benefit of the scribe since apparently the actual content of the medicine was not common knowledge.

He said, "Let me speak with The Linder. This might actually be a bargaining chip he can use with the towns. We'll offer them the option of paying their bills, at least in part, with goods."

I nodded. "I leave that to you. I'm just the messenger. However, we have several serious shortages that must be looked at starting with seed for the Spring crops. Mr. Tosh said he had mentioned it."

"Indeed he had. He ..."

The door banged open and the Sheriff stormed in. "John's been attacked."


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"Where is he?"

"He's being taken to his quarters now."

Rather than ask where that might be I followed the Sheriff and the Chancellor as they hurried across the Hall. His rooms were actually next to his office which I thought rather strange but then again I was not a doctor and up at all hours seeing to emergencies.

A young woman came through a door tying the sash of a robe. I looked at her and said, "Please tell me you are Dr. Cummins' wife."

"Yes."

"Thank goodness. We need to get him stripped down so we can see what his injuries are and he'll be less likely to complain if it his wife doing it." And when I noted how that sounded I blathered, "And naturally you will too. I mean ..."

A rather nervous hiccup of laughter escaped her and she said, "I know what you mean."

I walked into the doctor's surgery and then stomped my foot in frustration. "Why does everything in here require a degree in Latin and Greek to read?!"

Then there was a breathless, "Ma'am, Mizz Marta said you'd need this."

I turned to find Alyce completely out of breath but holding a quilted satchel. I looked at her and said, "Please tell her that she is a blessed woman and that I intend to grow up and be just like her."

The men looked at me like I had taken leave of my senses but Alyce gave a quick smile that faltered when she glanced towards the doctor and then rushed back to what I knew would be Mizz Marta's side. That was when another woman entered the room.

I looked up and we sized each other up. She said, "I'm April."

"I'm Leeda. If you will kindly deal with your brothers before they have palpitations I will deal with the doctor."

"A plan it is. I like you already."

April rounded on her brothers and I turned to the doctor. His wife was already washing the cuts and bruises and he was regaining consciousness. I stepped over and said, "Behave for your wife Sir or you'll have both April and I poking at you."

That stopped him for a moment but when I opened the satchel and he saw what it contained he snapped, "I am fine. I do not need any quackery."

"Hah. What is more quackery than that pharmacopoeia of ingredients in your surgery? I could only read about half of the labels in there ... and most of it is because of someone's hideous handwriting."

"You can read Greek and Latin?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't do it for fun and pleasure but yes. How else am I supposed to tell which medicinal plant belongs to which family? Now be still or I'll have your wife sit on you."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Save your begging for your wife Sir. I have a feeling she is going to need to be a long-suffering sort to deal with you. It is common knowledge that for centuries doctors have made the worst patients."

I was an hour cleaning, salving, and stitching and at the end of it I was nearly as exhausted as the doctor. I left him in the care of his wife and closed the door to their rooms to give them some much needed privacy.

My hands were shaking as I cleaned things up trying to leave the room's contents as painstakingly neat as I had found them. A quiet knock and then a head came around the corner. "Hi. I'm Nancee. April asked if you'd come to the ... well it is the sitting room that is that putrid green with all the animal heads on the wall ... when you are finished."

"I'll be there in about two moments."

I closed Miss Marta's satchel and made a note that I needed to replenish the bandages and cleaning cloths in it then headed to what was usually called the Huntsman Room; though the "one that is the putrid green color" described it just as well.

The door was open and I walked in. "How is he?" the Chancellor demanded upon seeing me.

"Resting at the moment but he is going to be sore for a while. I see no evidence of concussion or internal injuries but I told his wife the symptoms to look for. There was another woman there ... older ...?"

April said, "That would be Lorna. She's Kate's companion."

"Kate? Oh, you mean the doctor's wife." I rubbed my forehead. A glass was pushed into my hand and I looked to up to see the Sheriff.

"It's cider. You need the sweetening."

"More than likely," I said knowing he meant both for energy and for my nature. "I'm almost afraid to ask what happened to cause this."

The Sheriff said, "I had decided to walk to the home John was going to when I came upon him being drug off into the bushes by three bad characters. I startled them and they took a shot at me. I returned fire. Winged one, one got away, and one is laid out in the butcher's shed getting sketched for identification purposes before he gets hung at the crossroads."

"Thieves?"

"No, or at least they did not act like most thieves act."

April glared and said, "Had they been thieves, there would have been no need to beat John. He would have given up his purse without a struggle."

I looked at the Sheriff but his eyes told me to keep any further questions to myself.

April and Nancee both bid me a goodnight after saying it was nice to meet me even under such circumstances, or perhaps because of the circumstances since I had been able to help John. That's when I noticed how late it was and excused myself to go speak with any staff that remained awake.

"Chancellor, perhaps we can reschedule our meeting."

"Of course Widow. But do not worry, I will put into motion what we've already spoken of."

"Thank you." I turned to leave, bidding the remaining people in the room a goodnight with a nod of my head.

I made my way below stairs and as I had suspected there were several staff sitting up waiting for news. "He'll live," I told them. "Now you lot need to get some rest. And Mr. Holman! What are you doing still up?"

"Actually Widow, I felt better this evening than I have in some time. And that's even not taking the doctor's tonic."

"About that tonic ..." I shook my head. "Never mind. We are all too tired. Seriously though, everyone but the ones on night duty need to get some rest. I'm not sure what the next few days will bring but we all need to be ready for whatever it might be."

They filed out and I walked quietly to Mizz Marta's quarters and stuck my head in. Alyce was asleep on a cot. I set the satchel down as silently as I could but something must have awoken Alyce for she sat up quickly. I put my finger to my lips and then mouthed, "He'll be alright. How is Mizz Marta?"

"Better ma'am."

Carefully I asked, "Did she have the doctor's tonic?"

"Not today. Mrs. Kinsey didn't bring it."

Even more carefully I asked, "Mrs. Kinsey is the one that makes the tonic?"

"No ma'am but she is the only one allowed to fetch it but the Doctor has been out most of the day and then ... I'm sure he'll have orders on how to make it up for everyone, especially now it seems to be working."

"Hmmm. Thank you Alyce. Now get back to sleep. Morning is going to come far too quickly I'm afraid."

I turned and was nearly back to the dining hall when a hand covered my mouth in the dark.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Hush Widow. I don't want to wake the house."

I nodded and then nearly rounded on him with a smack but he caught my hand. "I suppose I did tell you that you could throw something at me but perhaps you wouldn't mind waiting for a little longer to collect. Besides, I brought you back that fang I took while we were in the rail car."

I took it from his hand and then backed away, quickly strapped it to my wrist and pulled my cuff back down to conceal it. He silently asked me to come with him. We passed out of the staff area and then out into the grounds before he said, "I want you to carry that fang with you at all times and stay alert. I'm going to escort you to the Dower House tonight but unfortunately I may not always be available to do so."

"I assure you Sheriff I'm not nearly as helpless as you seem to insist on thinking."

"If I thought you helpless you'd already be moved lock, stock, and barrel into the Hall proper and hang tradition, propriety, status, and everything else. This situation is growing preposterous. We've enemies and yet they give no real clue why they feel so."

"Your brother is The Linder and he is the Guardian, for some that will be reason enough. And right now, pardon my bluntness but you are, as a whole, projecting a weakness."

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"A wise man reminded me not too long ago that pride goeth before a fall. Do not let your pride blind you to reality the way I was doing with Fan and Rom. You may be temporarily projecting weakness but that does not need to mean that you are. I know it is frustrating."

He growled, "To put it mildly."

"Look at this as an opportunity. If it is indeed the case that my husband brought weakness to the Guardianship, use this time to ferret it out, clean out the infection, and heal the wound. Not only is that your brother's moral obligation but the whole of Tentuckia will be stronger for it and strength will bring greater opportunities for all to prosper."

After a moment he said, "You should have made a strong Guardian's wife."

"I was nothing but a child."

"You're not much older now."

"I suppose it depends on how you look at it. Perhaps the pages in the calendar have not turned that often but there are days when I feel ancient."

Quietly he said, "I'm sorry I haven't made any headway in the concern you brought to me earlier."

He surprised me by bringing it up. "Actually Sheriff ... though I know how it is going to sound ... I have some information on that for you."

He stopped and scowled. "What?"

"I relayed the Doctor's condition to the staff who were waiting up ... and there were more than a few of both established and new staff which lets me know as nothing else can that he is well regarded ... when I noticed Mr. Holman in their number." I continued the telling, ending with Alyce's innocent revealing of who brought the tonic each day.

At the Sheriff's scowl I said again, "I know how it sounds. Mrs. Kinsey and I did not get off on the right foot but ..." I shook my head. "Perhaps I am simply tired and jumping at shadows."

The Sheriff remained a silent, scowling statue. Then he growled. "No, but whether Mrs. Kinsey is the viper or not she is a place to start."

"I'm sorry."

He glanced my way and asked, "For what?"

"I know she was a long time staff at your father's holding."

"Long time? No ... well ... about ten years I suppose but the Housekeeper we had before her was with the family for nearly thirty. She was efficient and Dwen appreciated that as her position sometimes made things difficult. Kinsey isn't anyone I had much dealings with as I was at university and training and beyond that was in the Guards."

"I hesitate to ask but is there any way to check her background?"

"Already in progress after the way she behaved this morning. When I spoke to James about it he insisted. And I will speak to John but ..."

"I understand. Thank you for taking the time ... and for taking the time to walk me here. Watch your feet. The woodpile is a mess. I ..."

A shadow loomed up and I saw it raise something over its head. I screamed and pushed the Sheriff to the side and ducked and the club narrowly missed us. The Sheriff was up and on the man in an instant and that's when I saw the second one coming. I stumbled backwards doing the exact thing I had warned the Sheriff not to and trod on the hem of my skirt. I heard it tear as I tripped and to catch my balance I grabbed at what was close.

What was close was the handle of the axe I had buried in the stump by the woodpile. I wrenched it out and began defending myself. The man came too close and got caught by the blade. He screamed as blood poured from the jagged cut in his arm. I swung again, unwilling to give up the advantage but the man scrambled back and ran away.

Or should I say tried to run away. Several Regional Guards showed up on the run, brought by my scream. At about that same moment the Sheriff landed a satisfyingly crunchy right hook to the other man's jaw and he fell as hard as a hammer.

"Widow! Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes but if you will excuse me I believe ..." I ran to the bushes and barely made it in time not to embarrass myself though what I did was bad enough.

I almost refused to turn around but when he put my hand on his arm I allowed him to escort me inside. He tried to light the gas lamps but they wouldn't come on. "Damn."

"I don't need the light."

"Well I do. I'll make sure someone comes over and finds out the reason for this."

"The valve outside has rusted. I saw it this morning. I've already placed a work order but told them it wasn't an emergency. I've lived with candles and oil lamps my entire life except for the few months I was here. Not even the college had gas lights." I knew I was blathering and so did he but he was kind enough not to point it out.

"Allow me to send for someone from the Hall. I'll ..."

"No. The last thing most of the staff need is to be running around in the damp and cool night. There has been quite enough upset for one evening." I stood up, lit a taper, and used the taper to light a branch of stubby candles on the kitchen table. "There."

I looked up to find him staring. "And you ask me which side my insanity comes from?"

"Nat showed me a book once that had written in it something to the effect that to view the world as sane we must all be insane."

"You need to find your bed Widow. I believe you have what is diagnosed in past cases as overset nerves."

He insisted on looking through the house and then checking all the windows and doors before leaving.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Overset nerves or not I could not just "find my bed" as the Sheriff had suggested because I still had no bed. In fact I hadn't even had time to unpack any of my clothing beyond what had been in the satchel I took on the train and that needed more than a shake out and sponge bath. I needed more than a sponge bath for that matter. The last few hours had reminded me of that fact rather forcefully. All of the running around during the heat of the day, then cleaning up the good doctor, and then the brawl with the ne'er do well ... I had sweated through my black cotton blouse several times and, despite it being one of the most expensive items left over from the widow's wardrobe chosen for me at my husband's death it was beginning to show wear and now it had salt rings.

After filling the downstairs bathing container with fresh, cold water I divested myself of all my outer wear and set it to soak. I added a little vinegar from a supply I found in the main pantry and hoped that would be enough to keep the black from staining. I did not want to have to spend any more of the stipend that I was contracted for than necessary, certainly not on clothing when I already had a case full.

Just relieving myself of the blouse and skirt made me feel better but if I wanted to truly be clean I would need to dig out my clean underclothing and bathe which I proceeded to do with relish. Even my hair I am ashamed to say required several buckets of water and vigorous scrubbing to get the final load of coal dust out. My effort made my scalp tingle and the vinegar rinse I used at the end made it tingle a little more than was comfortable. In the future I will be more cautious if I ride the rail and keep my hair under a solid snood or chappone. As it is I have decided to use a crocheted snood to capture my hair over the next few days until I can find the time to iron the curls into proper behavior. Braids may have sufficed while I lived in Harper and kept mostly to myself but for every day wear in company they make me appear far too young and I will need all the maturity I can get in my current position, so a snood it will be ... and black to match the rest of my ensemble.

Unfortunately my clothing trunk I discovered to be at the bottom of a stack of other trunks that were too heavy for me to move. I berated myself for not having left clearer instructions and wondered what to do when I glanced in the direction of Ceena and Tonya's bedrooms. It certainly wasn't my first choice but Ceena and I, though over two decades different in age, were much the same size. Resolutely I headed to her lair to see if there was anything left that I could use.

In the pale light afforded by the candle lantern I held I could see the room was in disarray but not badly so. But it did bother me that no one had tidied up at all before closing the house down. It bespoke of two possibilities. Either so many had been ill they hadn't even been able to take care of the most common of courtesies for the dead; or, the courtesies were intentionally ignored for some reason. The first was upsetting, the second rather sad.

Seeing no clothespress in the room I stepped over to one of two doors. The first opened onto a room which was an indoor privy that needed serious cleaning. I didn't even want to imagine what all the filth was from as it made me feel like I needed another bath. But it also explained the slightly sour odor that the bedroom had. The other door led to a small room that had another door which led into Tonya's sleeping chamber. It too was in disarray though not as much as Ceena's.

The small room itself was a changing room and I shook my head at the wasted luxury of all I saw. It was like being in a room full of fancy black crows. There was no way that they could have possibly worn half of what was hanging since in full mourning socializing was very much frowned upon. Shaking my head at the unexpected foolishness, especially after remembering the scene they had made with the Guardian's secretary over the coin being spent on my own funeral garments, I reached out and took down a couple of the plainest blouses and skirts to piece out what I had in my satchel until I could get to my own clothing trunk. Looking at my bare feet I turned and grabbed a pair of half boots from what was obviously Tonya's side of the room. My figure may have been much like Ceena's but my feet were far larger than the two dainty knobs she had been proud to call feet. Thank goodness Tonya's shoe size was more reasonable. I also added to my pile a pair of what appeared to be never-used house slippers and two pairs of stockings.

I felt like a pirate with all my booty but I was taught the dead had better things to think of than the disposal of their earthly goods so ghostly superstition didn't bother me in the least. To be honest I could have cared less if the two harridans were spinning in their graves at the thought of me getting some benefit from what they could no longer use. There is a point that compassion and commonsense must meld and Nat, nor any other that raised and educated me, wouldn't have accepted that a whole room of clothes was to go to waste over outsized sensibilities.

Since the bath had re-energized me somewhat I carried the clothing to a small room off the kitchen which would have been allocated to a domicile staff person but which Mizz Marta had said had never been filled. They had taken their meals with the family until their banishment and after it they had taken most of their meals al fresca in the garden gazebo, waited on by Hall staff or Mrs. Kinsey. After illness struck Linderhall they became one of the first to fall ill and pass.

Laying my burden down I pulled on a lightweight robe and decided to investigate the house more thoroughly than I had up to that point. I started at the top and worked my way down. The third floor was completely empty and barely touched by anything but time. There were cracks in the walls, cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, and serious scuffs in the floor. I'd never been inside while I was married so have no idea if the damage pre-existed the redecoration by Ceena and Tonya or was more recent. The second floor was comprised of six bedrooms and one full bath and three indoor privies. I shook my head over the potential problems such luxuries could bring, the waste of water being only the first of many. Two of the bedrooms belonged to my sister wives but the other four looked meant for guests as they were decorated finely but had absolutely no personality and everything was covered in dust sheets to save on cleaning.

The first floor consisted of an entryway and cloak room, a main dining room that could sit sixteen - and why they would have such a long table set when they never ate in the house themselves was a mystery of arrogance - a smaller room likely meant for breakfasts and meals with fewer guests, the kitchen, a sitting room and music room which could be opened up by way of sliding panels to make one larger entertainment area, two indoor privies and another full bath, and finally a library that also appeared to be meant as a small office. The whole of the downstairs save the kitchen and staff room was decorated handsomely rather than frilly showing considerable good taste. Having spent time with my sister wives I shouldn't have been surprised but somehow I was. I thought their efforts in the Hall were for the Guardian's pleasure alone but it would appear that it was their own pleasure they were tending when such purchases were made.

Looking around me for some reason the memory of a row that had occurred when Ceena and Tonya had found out that The Linder had hired a comportment teacher for me flickered through my mind. It had been terrible and Ceena had slapped me and Tonya had kicked me so hard I could barely walk. I don't know who carried the tale to our husband but the doors and windows shook with the shouting of the three of them. Nothing else was ever said and he'd barely looked at me for a month. But the comportment teacher did come and between her and Mizz Marta my life became somewhat livable again. I shook my head. Neither of my sister wives ever struck me again but they tried to make my life as close to hell as they could manage in other ways; like with their gossiping and turning the neighbors against me.

Strange, the memories no longer had any power to depress me even though I was back at Linderhall and living under the roof of a house they had claimed as their own. And since they didn't depress me I decided to ignore the memories for a while. I was beginning to get tired again but after looking around the kitchen more thoroughly I knew I needed to take a good look in the pantry and go down to the cellar.

The kitchen was devoid of anything of practical use. I don't know if it is because Ceena and Tonya had not got around to acquiring the appropriate inventory or if they figured they never would need to because they would eventually be moving back into the Hall. Either way it was a good thing I had my own housegoods or I'd have been begging Mrs. Cooksey for a few of her pots and pans. There wasn't even any cutlery or dishware in the cabinets which seemed very strange and I made a note to ask Mizz Marta if it had been removed prior to the house being closed up.

The pantry was another matter. There were a few basic staples but nothing of any substance. That I could understand. Neither Ceena nor Tonya kept up their housewifery skills and in fact looked down in distain at anyone that did despite being able to afford staff for those purposes. As much as the idea of it bothered me I was going to have to go to Market and acquire a few things ... more than a few things.

Then I went down to the cellar and met a challenge. The door was locked. Not just locked but padlocked. Thankfully I had run across the ring of house keys while searching for matches the first night and was able to retrieve them. It took several tries but I finally found the right one and got the door open.

It was pitch dark so I had to walk completely in for my lantern to do much more than keep me from tripping. The first thing I found was a well-stocked wine cellar. No surprise there as both sisters considered themselves connoisseurs and drank for sheer pleasure, or so they said. Once beyond the wine racks I did nearly drop the lantern. I was sure I had found at least some of what the Chancellor had thought was missing.


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

I didn't get a wink of sleep. I must have stood simply staring at what I had found for long minutes as I finally had to lower the lantern because my hand was going to sleep. Then I stood for long minutes more trying to decide what to do. Did I turn, lock the door, and go to the Chanellor? The Sheriff? Did I wait until The Linder returned and report it directly to him? Staying silent crossed my mind but I knew I couldn't do it, the guilt would drive me mad.

I checked the time and found it was well beyond midnight and decided that if it had waited this long to be discovered it could wait a few more hours. I circled the room several times before finding what I was looking for. It appeared to be an oddly placed decoration which was why it stood out. Someone had tried to hide it behind a shelf but I had been looking and recognized it for what it was. I turned the decoration and behind it was a key hole. I was sure the key could not be far away ... but I was wrong. I ultimately found it in Ceena's make up table drawer carelessly tossed into a container of loose earrings. Finding it there was nearly as shocking as finding it at all, considering what it was.

Back down to the cellar I went and put the key in the lock and turned. The door was so craftily concealed that it could not be seen until it was opened. I propped the door open and taking my lantern - and a fresh candle in my pocket - I followed the passageway until it reached a point where it branched in several other directions. Having been told of this spot though never having been here before I knew where I was. The junction of tunnels led to a series of conduits that emptied out into Linderhall at various levels and into different rooms. My head swam with possibilities.

I returned to the cellar, locked the passage, and secured the cellar. Turning the key over in my hand I finally admitted that what I held was the Master Key and would open all of the locks on all of the secret passages and rooms in the Hall. A dangerous item indeed were it to fall into the wrong hands. And one that should never have been off the Guardian's key ring. The fact that it was here could mean many things but my head ached too bad to name them all.

I made a list of the few items that I had seen and could put a name to. Several were Linder family heirlooms. A few of them were museum artifacts from before the Days of Destruction; things called cameras and data devices and the like are on display in the Linder family's private museum, there's even some highly prized maps and mechanical pictures that escaped The Burning.

I didn't touch any of the items on the shelves but I did note that there was a chest that looked very like the one that the lawyer had taken my circles out of before handing them to me in a rice paper envelope. There were a couple of cases that could have held jewelry or something similar but I can't be sure. I have a tight rein on my curiosity as I have no wish for suspicion to turn my way.

After making the list I just sat. I know that sounds asinine but it is what I did. I could have used my time more constructively - and frankly should have - but I didn't so there. Instead I watched the window and at the first sign of lightning of the sky I threw on my cloak and headed to the Hall.

I was stopped twice on my way there and was nearly taken for questioning by a Regional Guard who didn't believe who I was if I hadn't mention Ronald Nealy.

A few moments later an irritated voice from behind me said, "So you'll mention my cousin's name but not mine?"

I looked at the Sheriff and he at me. Rather than respond to his crankiness which even Guard Nealy - who had walked up with him - was caught by surprise by his tone I said slowly and carefully, "I need to speak with the Chancellor."

After a brief moment he nodded, took my arm, and we walked in silence to the Hall. But rather than go through the staff entrance as I had planned he took me through another side entrance occasionally used by the family. He pulled me into a dark, unused room and asked, "What is wrong?"

I sighed. "You will take this as I do not trust you and that is not the case but ... oh, botheration." I was so tired and out of sorts my hands were balled into fists.

"Sit."

"I cannot. If I do I will likely fall over and ..." I gathered my shredded nerves together and repeated, "I need to speak to the Chancellor."

"Can I be there?"

I shrugged. It wasn't my place to tell him where he could be and where he couldn't be. "It should be in his office and not in his personal quarters."

"Very well."

Eventually both men stood before me and I scowled, unsure how to begin.

"Widow ... Leeda," the Sheriff asked beginning to show great concern. "What has you this overset? I've never seen you at a loss for words."

"That is because this time words ... oh for heaven's sake, if I hang then I hang. I wish The Linder was here, this would be so much easier."

"Then it is a good thing that I am."

I jumped and had to cover my mouth with my hand to keep my scream was seeking to escape.

"Sorry Widow."

I cleared my throat and said, "Don't speak falsehoods, I don't need them. More than likely you were going to eavesdrop since I was acting so suspiciously. And don't tell me, I'm not sure I want to know how you got here from the Vanburen's so quickly ... or ... or did you ever leave? Never mind, it's none of my business. Let us get this other done first."

All three men looked at me expectantly. I took the master key from my pocket and handed to The Linder.

"What's this?"

"I beg your pardon?" I asked having expected furious anger and got instead mild curiosity.

"This key. What is it?"

I nearly fainted. I found myself sitting on a poof with my head between my knees.

"Widow? Leeda?"

I glanced up and looked at the Sheriff and whispered, "May God above protect you lot until someone imparts some sense into your skulls. Have you no idea at all what that is?!"

The Linder was turning the key over in his hand and said, "Obviously not."

"May angels watch over you. Guardian ... that is the Master Key. There isn't a secret passage or room that I know of that that will not open."

Now I had their attention. "And do you know where I found it? In Ceena's earring box ... and not her good earrings either by the look of them." Outrage began to pour through me in response to all the worried I had gone through during the night. "And do you know why I went looking for a key?!"

"Easy Widow," the Chancellor cautioned. "Your voice is getting a bit loud."

I closed my eyes and tried to calm down but was only mildly successful. I stood up and began to pace. Finally in a quieter and more respectful tone I said, "I could not sleep after the ... the two back to back incidences. I tried a little unpacking and that didn't work so I thought I would look over the Dower House to see what work I needed to do. I started at the top and worked my way down."

"And does that have bearing?"

"In a sense because it explains why it was so late and why I did not try and contact the Chancellor sooner. I was concerned about creating a noticeable situation and this is going to require tact ... probably more than I am capable of generating."

The Sheriff took me by the arm and guided me to a sofa. "Sit Leeda," he said in a quiet command. "We aren't going to bite your head off."

"Hah! Don't tell me what a Linder is going to do. I know all too well what you are capable of. And after everything that has been happening and ... argh."

I sat all in a flounce. "If you're going to hang me at least make sure the hangman is an expert and I don't have to suffer."

"That is nothing to joke about," the Chancellor snapped.

"I'm not joking," I told him quietly.

The Linder looked at me and for the first time I realized here might be a good Guardian after all. "Tell your tale."

I nodded. "The house ... frankly by the time I was getting around to the cellar I was more than slightly irritated at some unusual aspects of what I had found but they don't bear directly on what I found but yet may have some interest and I'll tell the Sheriff later if he wants to hear them. It is once I got to the cellar ... I was fatigued but determined so when I found it padlocked I was just ... frankly I was just cranky enough that I refused to let such a thing stop me. And I didn't because I had found the house keys the night before. I opened the padlock, which now that I think about it is in much better condition than several of the other locks on and in the house which may be important. First thing I noticed upon entering was how well stocked the wine cellar was but that is typical of the sisters. They could drink like horses but only the most expensive of brands. The thing I noticed was that not all of the labels were from the Linder Vineyard. And several bottles are very old and like nothing I've ever seen."

The three men looked at each other but I only thought at the time that they were getting irritated at how long it was taking me to get to the point.

"It is when I stepped into the rest of the cellar that ... good Heavens ... there are things there that should not be there. The Chancellor mentioned ... well not specifically but ..." I rubbed my eyes trying to calm the headache beating behind them.

"Should I smack your hands for doing something so ill advised?"

I looked at the Sheriff and tried to return his friendly grin. "Perhaps you should."

I took my hands away and continued. "I know you don't understand exactly what I am saying yet but ... botheration ... it would be easier to show you but if I do ..."

The Linder kneeled down into my line of sight. "I do not have it in me to punish someone for knowing something I do not when they can't help it."

I looked at him. "This ... this is not a personal matter for the Linder family. This ... could very well involve an issue of Guardianship and ... and the breaking of a treaty. I don't know how far this goes and knowing this ... my personally knowing this ... and the secrets and politics involved ..." I stopped feeling like I was on a precipice.

"Where do your loyalties lie?"

I looked at The Linder and didn't understand his question. "Ex ... excuse me?"

"Do your loyalties lie with us?"

I realized the question was a trick. I looked at him in some anger. "You are pulling politics are you not? No matter what I say it can be twisted for your own purposes. So, let me say this. My loyalties, whatever they may be, are mine to give or withhold. But whether I withhold them or not I do not seek to use that against anyone regardless of their status in this life. If you insist on a specific answer then I will tell you that I am loyal to my cousin, my only living relative who I do not remember being anything other than a guiding force for good in my life regardless of the circumstance. And ... and the Sheriff, because he has been as honest with me as his Linder blood has allowed. Mizz Marta is another as is Sister Evelyn who you do not know. Many in the below stairs area have my loyalty."

He stood straight and arrogant, "I am the Guardian."

"You are. But that is politics. I respect the position but I do not know the man. The same as when you are called The Linder. I have already suffered under one so titled, I have no desire to find myself in that position again."

I heard the Chancellor clear his throat and the Sheriff grabbed my arm. I turned and told him, "Stop that. I won't speak my mind and then run away like a coward. I came to try and help this family even risking my own neck ... and you don't even know how much I am willing to risk. Instead of getting answers you get to a level of frustration and start talking politics as if that will get to the truth of the matter. Bah! Let us be done with this so I can hang or not ..." I turned and made a small bow to The Linder. "At the Guardian's pleasure of course."

Ignoring the looks on the men's faces I stood up and headed for the door and after that a staircase that would lead me to a place I'd only been twice ... and dreaded going again.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

I walked as if I didn't care if they followed. Had they not I'm not sure what I would have done but they did so I didn't need to figure that out. Several hallways and staircases later I slowed down as I entered a dark hallway. The drapes had been pulled and I realized the new Guardian did not use the bedchamber of the old one ... my husband.

I had to force myself down the hallway. Then I stopped and closed my eyes. I felt a hand on my arm and turned to see the Sheriff. The look on his face was cautious but compassionate. That infuriated me. I tugged my arm loose, stomped to the nearest window, and wrenched back the heavy drapes and threw open the shutters. "There is no such thing as ghosts," I growled.

So saying I turned resolutely back down the hall and to a heavy, paneled door. I reached out and turning the knob I had to close my ears to the sounds of the memories.

I slammed the door open and stepped inside. I turned on the gas lamps and ... blinked. The room was covered in dust sheets and had been stripped of my husband's presence. For a moment I could do nothing but shake but then forced myself to stop. Taking a deep breath I turned to the three men who had entered behind me and said, "We will need your key Guardian."

He tried to proffer it to me but I refused to take it. "Not on my life. I've handled the thing once and doing so ... I find it hard to believe you do not know the law."

The Linder looked at the Chancellor who had a thoughtful look on his face. "What is she talking about James?"

"It's an Old Law. I had no idea it was even real much less enforced."

"Oh yes. The Linder ... my husband ... watched one of his wives swing for the offence."

The Chancellor's eyes widened. "Which one?"

"The first. The only one to bear him a son that lived long enough to start his training. The wife was furious because she had begged for the boy to be brought home until after the plague had passed but ... but he denied her saying that a true Linder, one worthy of the title and inheritance, needed to go through a few plagues to become sufficiently immune to be able to travel in the furthest reaches of our region. The boy died ... it turned out that the plague was the Burning Pox. So she stole the key with the intent to ... well supposedly to let some enemies in so that they could finish him ... my husband ... off."

"Dear God," the current Guardian muttered in disgust.

"My cousin once explained it to me thus ... my husband was a very good Guardian and politically was the epitome of generations of Linders but in all other aspects he was an abject failure. Not even my cousin could have known how true his words were."

My hands were shaking and I clasped them together and turned away so the men would not see. "I have only been where I am about to show you once. My only demand is that after I show you and take you through I do not ever wish to see it again."

The Sheriff stepped forward and took the key from his brother. To me he said quietly and seriously, "Show me."

I walked to the fireplace and then to the right of it. "Do you see that particularly ugly decoration in the center of that carving?"

"Yes."

"That's a sign that behind it lies a passage or room. There are some that have had to be sealed or destroyed because of a redesign or because of some reason of safety but those are usually found in the lower reaches of the Hall. The ones on the upper floors still operate. Flip the decoration. It will likely be stiff because there is a lever so that it doesn't happen by accident."

"Yes it's stiff ... well, what do we have here?"

"It is a keyhole. Not all of the passages have the same keys but the Master Key will open them all. However this lock can ONLY be opened by the Master Key."

The Linder stepped forward to examine the lock. "You say 'the key' and not 'a key'. Am I given to understand that there is only one master key?"

"There should be and it should only have been on the private key ring of The Linder. As there can be only one Guardian there is only supposed to be one Master Key. If there are more than one ... I do not know how to account for it." Gathering my courage I said, "You must insert the key and make a full turn then turn it back half way then forward again for a quarter turn."

The Sheriff did as instructed and the paneled door popped open enough that it could be pulled wide. Before doing so I said, "You should close and lock the chamber door. This ... this is a very, very private ..."

I could feel them looking at me and then at each other. The Chancellor walked over and not only shut and locked the door but threw the bolt as well. From my pocket I pulled the candle I had put in there the night before. "We will need light, the gas does not flow in the secret parts of the Hall."

When I would have lit the candle the Sheriff removed a small flash lantern from his coat pocket. I knew what they were, had seen them before, but had never see one used. "Is ... is that legal? I thought the Great Council had questioned it as an old magic."

"They released the prohibition this summer. They are still uncommon and expensive but these are much safer than a regular lantern ... brighter as well. Their only drawback is that they lose power about the same way a candle burns down and then they have to be recharged before their next use."

I nodded. "Well, we ... we will need the light but ... but I do not wish to see ... not ... not until we reach the bend in the passage."

The Linder was becoming inpatient. "Enough of these mysteries." He took the flash lantern from the Sheriff's hand and stomped off into the passage. I shuddered.

His cry of disgust had me throwing my hands over my eyes. "I won't see it. I won't see it. I won't ..."


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The next thing I remember is a none too gentle shake. "Widow. Leeda! Open your eyes."

"No. I won't."

"Stubborn girl. Just open your eyes, come along now."

It took a lot of willpower but I did open my eyes. I told him, "I'm not a girl. I'm ... I'm the 3rd widow ... 3rd widow of ..."

"Yes, yes ... now just breathe. You are turning the color of spoiled paste. Drink this."

"I do not ... GAG! You ... you brute. What did you just ..."

"Easy, it's not poison. It's actually a rather expensive whiskey I'll have you know."

"It tastes abominable. I can barely breathe."

The Linder looked at me and was quite pale, as were both his brothers. The Sheriff took a swig from the flask he had tried to drown me with and then passed it to them. After a heady draught The Linder asked, "Is that what you wished to show us?"

"By all that's holy no. But to get to where I am taking you we must pass ... his ... his collection."

"So you know where they came from."

"No ... well some ... he was hard to understand and ... drunk ... I'm honestly not sure if he even remembered showing me and I was too ... too terrified to ..." I stopped. I rubbed my arms like it was the dead of winter and it did feel like winter had settled into my heart. "I never wanted to remember this, thought that it could be buried with him ... my husband."

I looked at the three men and turned but realizing I faced the bed hurriedly turned again trying to find something, anything, to look at that didn't bring back those horrible memories.

"He was drunk that night. Ceena and Tonya ... they did not like me, hated me for some reason. I never did find out why ... lack of status before the marriage, my age, I honestly don't know. It was simply a fact; they hated me with a passion I saw them give to nothing else. I learned to live with the hate and the bullying after a while but that doesn't mean it was easy. The staff ... they protected me when they could, sometimes at their own expense. When I realized that is when I started being stronger; I couldn't allow them to sacrifice themselves for me. I think I would have soon reached a place where nothing they did could have touched me ... and perhaps have finally reached it now that they are dead. But back then I still had a few vulnerable places and ... and I made the mistake of taking in and becoming fond of a kitten I had taken from the barn. It was a foolish thing to do. I knew their dogs ... they let their dogs ... right there in the sitting room. For such a small animal ... there was so much blood. And they stood there and laughed ... said that I'd never have anything if they had to go through things and people one by one. What none of us knew was that our husband had been going through the passage behind that particular sitting room for some reason ... he sometimes just spied on people to spy on them; it was unnerving and you had to be careful of your words all the time. It was easier not to speak at all."

I stopped to arrange the disconnected scenes in my head.

"A few hours later he showed up in my chamber. He had been drinking. I could smell it on him. He'd never done it before and the shock of it ... then he bid me come with him and ... and we wound up here." I closed my eyes and shuddered. "After ... after some time he ... he began to treat me strangely. Telling me ... telling me he ... that he felt sorry for me but that ..." I shook my head. "He was speaking so disjointedly. I think he was trying to ... to make up for what had happened, for my place in his household. He told me that ... that he'd tell me a secret none of the other wives knew ... that none had ever known, that it was a secret only The Linder had, on pain of death. He told me about the key and then he opened that secret passage over there. I thought that was to be it. Then he said that I would be his little 'secret keeper' just in case."

"In case of what?"

"I'm sorry Guardian ... I just don't know. Maybe it meant nothing. He was acting so strangely. He pulled me off the bed, didn't even give me a chance to do his bidding ... just pulled me off like an old sheet and drug me into the passageway. Then he turned on the lantern. Everywhere I looked ..."

The Linder reached out and awkwardly patted my shoulder. It surprised me so much I was able to continue.

"You ... you saw them. The jars and ... and exhibits." The men nodded. "My husband fancied himself a ... a collector. He was so proud ... arrogant ... about being The Linder but more about being a Guardian. He started with a history of why the Guardians exist and how they have a sacred duty and ... and he collected things that ... that proved that the creation of the status helped bring order out of the chaos and saved not just our region but our race. Those jars ... they hold the ... the results of the Days of Destruction that have been visited upon our race. The diseases ... the deformities ..." I shook my head again. "It mimics what you might find at a teaching college in natural studies but these exhibits ..." I shuddered. "Please," I whispered. "I've seen it once, do not make me look at it again. Just let us pass by and ... and I'll show you the rest."

"Is that the worst of it?" the Chancellor asked referring to the collection of horror-filled specimen jars and exhibits.

"Yes ... but there are passageways that lead ... that lead deep beneath the Hall to a place - a manmade cavern of sorts - where people hid during the worst of the Destruction. There are still ... things ... remains ... down there. That is another place I never wish to go again."

"How do you know of these places?" The Linder demanded.

"That night he drug me to and fro. Sometimes I was close to being lost. He would tell me stories ... I only half remember some of them and of that don't know what to believe. He shut me in that cavern for at least an hour before remembering to fetch me out. No water, no lantern, nothing." I shuddered again. "Come, let us get this over with. You will have to explore the rest of it on your own."


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

I literally refused to see the nightmares again. I closed my eyes and allowed the Sheriff to draw me forward and through the passage until we were well past my husband's "collection." I don't care if I am called coward even up to my Judgment Day, there are some things a person shouldn't have to see even once; twice would have taken a bit of my sanity.

I began leading them lower and lower down several spiral stair cases. "This had best not be a fool's errand," came the near threat.

"I assure you Guardian, if I could have found any other way to do this I would have."

The passage way dead ended. "What's this? A joke?"

"No. Find the door," I instructed.

The three men looked at each other then tried to find the trick. It was the Sheriff who found it. The decoration was a drawing of the design rather than the real thing. He slid the tile it was painted upon to the side and found the keyhole beneath it.

I looked at him and said, "You do better at these mysteries than you give yourself credit for."

Looking at me seriously he said, "I'd give a lot not to be this good about some mysteries."

When the men slid the door open the Chancellor immediately began cursing. He turned at me and demanded, "Are there any other entrances in this place?"

"No. If there were I would have brought you that way and saved myself a nightmare."

We were in the Linderhall Vault and having been in it a few times returning jewelry lent to me for official occasions I could see there were indeed empty places along the shelves. I turned and led them back the way we came, almost running passed the 'collection' and back out into the bedchamber. I was breathing heavy but once started I could not stop.

"This way," I told the three men after the fireplace passage had been closed and hidden once again.

Down several flights of stairs I took them to a seldom used sitting room that faced the Dower House. This time the passage way was behind a large embroidered wall hanging. Down some more and we came to a tunnel which we followed until we arrived at the nexus I had found the night before.

I pointed, "That tunnel has collapsed. It led to a structure that no longer exists anyway. The rest lead to various places on the grounds ... the gazebo, a ruin someone dubbed the folly for some reason, the stable ... and some lead back to the Hall but this one I found last night and it leads to the ..."

The Sheriff sighed and said, "To the Dower House."

"To the Dower House cellar to be more correct."

I led them through the twists and turns, around granite too thick to tunnel through, and then into the cellar. The Chancellor cursed again and the Sheriff said, "Damnation." The Linder said nothing but eyed the treasures on the shelves and lying about with anger.

When all three sets of eyes turned my way my chin went up and I told them, "I know what it looks like. I know the hidden passages. I know the secret rooms. I had the Master Key. But I swear on all I hold dear I did not steal any of these items."

The Sheriff rolled his eyes. "Of course you didn't. You weren't here. I'm guessing the Widows were after a little payback."

I was so tired I almost wept in relief. At least one of them believed me.

The Chancellor was still stomping around and less than happy, making notes and cursing. The Linder came over and looked at me consideringly. "You could have at the very least ransomed some of these objects back to the family."

"It makes no sense to me to steal from oneself. For now at least, I am family even if it is just by accident and temporary."

The Chancellor came over and asked, "There's dust on everything so it has been here a while ... and ... and you did not touch anything."

"No," I said shaking my head firmly. "It was bad enough finding it and the last thing I want is to touch any of it."

"And you say you found the key in Widow Ceena's jewelry?"

"I have no way to open the door from this side with the padlock reinstalled or I would take you there so that you could see for yourself."

The Linder said, "Later but for now let us return to the Hall before anyone notices us missing. We've been gone quite some time as it is."

"Well of course. You were questioning me about last night. It was necessary for me to answer all of your questions multiple times for you to make sure that my statement would not be contradictory to the facts that have been established."

The Sheriff looked at me and with a sardonic twist to his lips said, "It appears that I am not the only one hiding a talent for politics."

I shuddered. "I look forward to the day that I don't have to utilize this hard earned 'talent.' From the comportment teacher to Marta to the other staff, it was ground into me that to survive in Linderhall requires an understanding of politics and a ... a flexibility when it comes to the facts. They can be viewed one way or another depending upon how they are presented." I shook my head, depressed once again. "I do not like these games. I can play them but I do not like them."


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Mrs. Kinsey, I'm afraid I simply do not have time to discuss this with you at the moment. I am on my way to a meeting with Dr. Cummins and the Sheriff."

"Why?"

It was her tone as much as the question that surprised me. "I beg your pardon?"

"Why do the likes of you need to meet with those two great men?"

I could have handled her questions multiple ways but instead I merely stated, "If you feel you have the status for it, perhaps you should proffer your question in their direction." I turned and left feeling her eyes boring into my back. I felt like a character in a bad theatrical.

I had never thrown my status around in Linderhall. I could have - fat lot of good it would have done me at the time - but I never did. It seemed so rude and abusive. And then when I went home to Harper none of it seemed to matter overly much any longer except as a way to complicate my life and make people think even less of me than they already did. My training had taught me the skill to be tall and starchy in my position but I preferred other methods of getting things done. But every time I turned around it seemed someone was poking at my status and even someone as unconcerned with it as I will get a bit touchy after a while ... and in my case with Mrs. Kinsey a rather short while. It was very difficult not to get some satisfaction out of putting her in her place, but my commonsense if not my compassion prevented me from seeking such a solution. My satisfaction would be short-lived once I began to face all of the repercussion of such an action.

And I did have a meeting with the Doctor and the Sheriff. It wasn't quite as important as I had made it sound but I would take any excuse to not have to deal with her on a day after no sleep especially as her behavior left me only more suspicious of her motivations.

I carried in my hand what I had gone to the staffing area to collect. It seemed an odd thing to carry down the hall and several people stopped and stared before going back to their duties but no one said anything; the Widow Linder was already getting the reputation for being odd. I knocked on the Doctor's suite and was admitted by the older woman I had met the night before.

"Thank you ... and thank you for your help last night as well. I'm afraid I neglected to say so."

She smiled a friendly smiled and said, "Oh you said so. Cleaning up after yourself you know expresses gratitude as nothing else can."

I smiled in understanding and turned to find the doctor scowling and his wife looking harried. Even the Sheriff was beginning to look irritated. I walked forward and handed what I carried to his wife.

Hesitantly she asked, "Wh .. what are these?"

"Packing straps. The Sisters at the hospital in Harper found them very useful when dealing with the doctors when they became ill. They are very strong and unlike ropes will not leave unsightly marks when you use them to confine him to bed where his otherwise good sense would keep him. Unfortunately for some unfathomable reason doctors become churlish and unexpectedly infantile when they are ill, even more so than the average man becomes. And clinically hard headed, let's not leave that out. And since I heard that you are Pacifists I thought this would serve better than a hammer and nails at keeping him where he should remain for at least another day."

Everyone in the room fell absolutely silent then the doctor's wife couldn't seem to look at me and covered her mouth with her hand, then turned her head, but I caught her shoulders shaking. I told her, "Go ahead and let it out before you cause some internal disruption. Trust me when I say dealing with men seems to require an inordinate amount of humor and commonsense since there are times when they seem to lack both."

I turned to find the older woman practically stuffing her apron in her mouth and the Sheriff looking like he'd been clubbed. I asked him, "Are you ill?"

"By all the martyred saints of the Destruction no! And praying I never get that way anytime soon. I've been under your ministrations once and have absolutely no desire to experience it again. Scooping me off the ground like I was a babe. Forcing me to be covered in goop made from daisies. Witching me with your hazel. Leave a man some pride woman, leave a man some pride."

There was a strange noise from the bed and I turned. I thought at first that the doctor was experiencing a seizure then he started laughing. "You ... you ... you used daisy salve on him?!" He was laughing so hard he had to hold his bruised side.

I lifted my chin and said, "I had already packed my salves that smell more ... er ... manly." When the doctor kept laughing I added, "Well his horse liked it much better than the liniment the innkeeper's wife had used."

There was a great deal of laughter all around and even the Sheriff finally capitulated and smiled. A few more pleasantries were exchanged and I left. I was halfway to the corridor I needed to turn down to see Mr. Tosh and give him an update when the Sheriff caught up with me.

"You don't move slow do you?"

"Somehow I do not think you are speaking of the speed at which I walk."

"I'm not. I need a few moments of your time to clarify a few things from this morning. Please come to my office."

I followed him there and while there were a few glances I'm sure most people would assume it was about the doctor's condition or the attack last night about which most of the staff were extremely upset. Mizz Marta was gray before I could get to her and show her myself that all was well. She knew I was upset but I didn't disabuse her of the notion that it was from the two incidences.

We walked into his office and rather than ask me to sit down he asked, "Are there any secret passageways in this office?"

"I don't know of any personally but if you know what you are looking for you should be able to find them. That's why it was always supposed to be such a secret ... so that the average person wouldn't know the clue to look for."

We looked and I had almost given up until I spotted the design in a wood on wood decoration of his desk. It took some investigating but we finally figured out how to make it open. "I don't know where the key would be," I told the Sheriff.

"You don't?" the Sheriff asked.

I shook my head almost stupid with fatigue. "I don't know what you think Sheriff but the information I have about the Hall is miniscule compared to what the Secretary would have imparted to your father."

"It wasn't meant as a complaint. You know enough," he said gruffly. "Here. Sit down and rest. There are a couple of things that were in the previous Sheriff's belongings that haven't been identified as belonging any certain place yet. Perhaps you'll recognize them."

My elbow slid off the chair arm causing me to jump awake before he could come back and find me dozing. I stood and stretched to get the blood flowing to my brain.

"I've tried that a time or two myself."

I jumped a bit at the Sheriff's silent re-entrance but took the box he handed me. I opened it and there were several rings of keys. I rifled through them and then pulled out one that I definitely recognized. "This is a duplicate of Mizz Marta's key ring. See this symbol? It is the stamp of the Linderhall Housekeeper. And this ring either belongs to the Head Gardener or is a duplicate of his ring of keys. These go to the various sheds and storage bunkers, the symbols on the keys indicate which ... rose shed, kitchen garden shed, tool shed, etc. I think these are like the keys that Mr. Holman has ... those large keys are for the exterior doors and the wine cellar primarily though I think he may have one to ... to my husband's suite of rooms. I don't recognize these other rings."

"Good or I would wonder why. This ring of keys is a duplicate of the one that the Captain of the Guards carries. And these are for the armory."

"If you knew why ask me?"

"I only just figured it out once you started pointing out the details. I've been so busy I honestly hadn't considered this a priority until the issue with ... accessibility came to the forefront. Which leaves this set of keys. Do you recognize these symbols?"

"It is the Linder crest but ..." I stopped and looked more closely. "Actually that isn't the Linder crest that is the ..." I dropped the keys and brushed off my hands.

"What?"

"Nat would skin me if he finds out I read the manuscripts he kept locked away."

"Your cousin?"

"Aye. He would bring them home sometimes when he was uncomfortable with me staying by myself. This was some project he got involved with after I returned to Harper. I'd asked him some questions about Ceena and Tonya's religious practices and he went off on a tangent and then wouldn't talk to me about it anymore except to say that it was an improper subject."

"So you went snooping."

I sighed and admitted, "So I went snooping. And frankly wished I had not. Have you heard of the Darkfriars?"

"That old story they used to tell us to keep us in line? 'If you don't behave the darkfriars will think you are one of them and they'll come take you away and we'll never see you again.' Load of rubbish."

"Only in part, at least according to the manuscripts that Nat had brought home to read. Do you know the history of the Days of Destruction?"

"What there is left of it."


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Prodded on one side by a group of people that abused their status in the world and on the other by a group of people that thought they didn't have enough status a war started but it was not a quickly fought and won thing like everyone expected but drew out and then the terror attacks, and bombs, and plagues were released upon the world and chaos reigned. Even once the fighting stopped the world continued to be ripped apart by the consequences of the war. The histories written by the ones that lived through it make it seem like hell on earth though the Brothers have said that hell will be even worse. During this time of chaos there were people that arose that worshiped Himself Down Below. They believed themselves to be his church and operated like a bastardized version of one only ..." I shook my head. "Tales of human sacrifices, cannibalism, and numerous other atrocities are recorded but the thing people feared most it seemed was that they were child-stealers. The darkfriars - which is what they eventually started calling themselves or were perhaps dubbed by those that they terrorized - overestimated the protection their god would give them and they traveled through contaminated regions looking for booty and weapons to keep the chaos going. It affected their ability to procreate. They had children but there were deformities and all of the other consequences of the Days of Destruction but concentrated and magnified. So to keep their order from dying out they stole children, raised them as their own, and then made them in their own image. In doing so though they perpetuated the problems and the child stealing became what they were known most for as the world began to stabilize. The religion went underground."

"And these keys are from that group?"

"No. They are from someone that has chosen to follow the path of the darkfriars. It is the Linder crest, but someone has woven the darkfriar symbology into the it. I had not thought ..."

I frowned. What I was thinking was a scandal if it was true and could radically influence the difficulty the family was already facing.

"Widow? This office is as secure as I can make it. Speak freely."

I looked at his face and frowned when I saw something I did not like. "You know don't you. Somehow, some way you've known ... perhaps all along."

I saw the Sheriff's expression go from shock to glaring balefully at me. "How by the names of the saints did you just figure that out? I saw your face, your eyes. You had no idea and then ... suddenly you just did."

Irritated with him more than I had ever been up to this point I said, "I don't know. It used to annoy my fellow students at college as well. I wound up taking many classes in self-directed study because I didn't fit in with the correct age group. But don't misdirect, you've been using me all along."

I stood up to leave but he stepped in front of me. "I am many things Widow, and yes I have been using you but only for the purpose you were told you were being brought here for. The rest of this ... you have knowledge we need. I ... in truth I was being less than forthcoming in an attempt to protect you."

"I do not believe you. Let me pass."

"Don't be stubborn. After last night at least acquit me of desiring your injury in any way."

"I do not like being played for a fool."

"The last thing you are Widow ... Leeda ... is a fool."

I snapped, "And do not try acting like a besotted idiot again. You look like a puppy that's been kicked and dumped on the ash pile. You are the Sheriff of Tentuckia so act like it."

"I am also a man."

"Who is about to have his cork rung if you do not let go of my arm."

The rear door to his office snapped opened and The Linder stepped in. "No violence if you please. He has been keeping silent primarily at my direction."

"Begging your pardon but do not seek to manage my anger and redirect it in a way you do not think I am capable of throwing it. I might just surprise you." I turned back to the Sheriff and said, "I warned you I would not get involved with your infernal politics. I am here to help Mizz Marta and the below stairs staff, nothing more and nothing less. Yet almost from the beginning you've been ... been ..." I stamped down trying to get his foot but he moved too fast then pulled me back against him trapping me. "The Waverly event, you getting pummeled, the train, and all of the nonsense since I arrived at Linderhall. I tell you I will not be used like this. I will ..."

"Not. Yes, yes ... I see that now." The Linder seemed rather amused by my tantrum. "Please forgive me my dear. But look at it from my side, there is a spider somewhere about, spinning its web and you fit the part so handily."

"What?!"

The Linder looked at the Sheriff and said, "Explain it to her. Wendolyn is on her way here with one or two of the Vanburen women and I am expected to show my best side to their men."

That irritated me even more than being accused of atrocities against the family. I finally managed to get close to the Sheriff's toes but it did me no good as his boots were metal reinforced and all I did was bruise the bottom of my own foot. "Ow!"

The Sheriff said, "Serves you right. Told you all I want is to protect you."

I demanded, "Release me. I've got to run to the kitchen. Mrs. Cooksey is going to be near hysterics and I don't know which of the other staff are in any shape to ..."

The Linder smiled superiorly and told me, "Relax Widow. It is for cocktails only before they head to the rail yard. April has it well in hand. This is the kind of entertaining that she does well with ... come in, refreshments, then get them back out the door before anyone becomes bored or offended. If she needs more help she can call upon Mrs. Kinsey."

"No!" both the Sheriff and I blurted at the same time.

"Hmmm. Daren, do we need to talk?"

"In a manner of speaking. On an unrelated matter ... damnation woman stop wriggling."

"Then let go."

"No. Not until I'm sure you aren't going to skewer me."

Never losing that half-bored humor The Linder said, "I'll leave the two of you to it shall I? Widow, please do not skewer my brother. He is actually turning out to be quite useful despite Father's accusation of chuckleheadedness on occasion." To his brother his said, "Daren I expect a report tonight."

He left the room the way he had come in and I glared. "So you did know of the secret passages."

"Only the one and that's because the man who occupied the office before me told me in confidence as he lay dying. He was trying to tell me something else but he was in too much pain and too weak to communicate it fully."

He finally released me but jumped back quickly and continued to block my exit from the room.

I straightened my apron and the rest of my ensemble the best I could as well as fixed the pins of my snood that had begun to slide.

"Was that necessary?" I snapped.

"In my mind it was. And damn enjoyable too if you must know." He barked a laugh. "Stop looking like an offended feline, you're fuzzing up all over."

He reached over and I couldn't slap his hand away fast enough to avoid a tug on one of my errant curls. "That's enough of that," I told him backing away. "I demand an explanation ... and might I remind you that I am not a plaything. I'm well aware of the ... reputation ... that some have tried to give me but ... but I thought you would realize it was unwarranted. After this morning I'm back to feeling perhaps I'll never want ..."

He became serious. "I meant no offense Widow. I'm afraid my brothers may be correct. I simply do not conform to being a Linder."

"Praise God for small favors," I muttered still keeping my distance.

He pulled out a chair and asked politely, "Would you please sit? I will behave myself."

"Hardly likely but I suppose you'll try."

After we had both sat and eyed each other like a pair of gladiators ready for battle the Sheriff said, "I have hinted rather broadly at the troubles our father encountered when he inherited."

"The gaps in the bookkeeping."

"Yes but there were ... other things. The odd relationships your husband had with some of the neighboring families and then discovering his addiction. It has been difficult to investigate these things and keep them quiet at the same time."

"You did not ask Ceena and Tonya for information?"

"They were part of the problem. Always making broad hints as if they were teasing about something they knew and we did not. Their constant insults to Dwen despite Father's edict to them to stop. That part of it started when she insisted on reopening the Linder Chapel and being quite incensed at how poorly it had been kept up over the years. The altar area had been desecrated." Sighing he said, "Father rather insisted that it had to be anarchists but Tomas was just as adamant that the answer did not fit. Father was strong-willed and though he wanted his sons to be in advisory positions he didn't listen very well ... not at first."

I could hear the real grief in his voice. I didn't want to allow it to make me receptive to his explanation but it did.

"Tomas had nearly talked him around when the plague arrived. It all transpired so quickly. We still don't know how some of the household became infected as we were so careful to contain the man."

"Someone mentioned that Ceena and Tonya were the first to go."

"Precisely. They were in their house sulking with only Mrs. Kinsey as a possible vector for infection and yet Kinsey never became ill ... and then a day after the plague was diagnosed the two of them were so ill that nothing John could do brought their level of pain down. John thinks the severity must be because they got such a concentrated dose of the illness but we don't know from where."

"And they exhibited all of the symptoms of the other plague sufferers."

He nodded, "Only magnified far beyond the pain levels of any of the rest of us. I myself was ill for a few days and at one point I felt like my bones were going to break but it passed during the night after John dosed me with a mild sedative that allowed me to sleep through the worst of it. In fact that was the same for most of the sufferers. Some however ..." The Sheriff shook his head. "The widows Ceena and Tonya suffered the worst but the Sheriff, Dwen ... those four in particular did not respond to anything John tried. Father was on the mend and then watching Dwen suffer and die in his arms ... it was too much for him and he burst a vessel in his head. He lingered for another day and then the angels came."

Hesitantly I asked, "Who tended the ones that fell ill?"

"Whoever was healthy."

"What about the ones that were particularly ill? Does anyone helping stand out?"

"Not to my knowledge why?"

"I'll ask Marta, she may know."

"Again I ask why?"

"It's ... it's difficult to explain and if Doctor Cummins has not made note of it then I could be completely incorrect but ..."

"Widow, I am too tired to deal in puzzles. Just spit it out. And I do not wish a repeat of your fear this morning. My brothers may have been stuck on the character they had built for you but I told you before we arrived that meeting you had forced me to rethink the plot we had written for your part."

I looked at him and realized that at least for the moment he was telling the absolute truth.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

I decided to take a risk. "Since Dr. Cummins is such a deeply convicted pacifist, his mind likely does not automatically consider violence as a possibility, especially not when there is already such a handy culprit to blame. The plague. The symptoms ... I was not here which is one of the reasons I need to speak to Marta."

"Carefully. This is not something that should be gossiped about."

"One Marta does not gossip and two I am not daft. I am here to put the below stairs in order, not to make things worse." He nodded his head in acceptance and I continued. "It comes back to medicine once again."

"I've already told you that John would never ..."

"And I believe you. However, if he is a pacifist he may exhibit a certain naiveté that allows him to be used ... or blinded."

"In what way?"

"You know what I already suspect Mrs. Kinsey of."

"Inhibiting the recovery of certain of the staff. Widow you must admit that that is conjecture and extremely ... hmm ... well it sounds ..."

"Yes, yes I know. Believe me Sheriff I do know exactly how I sound. It is being back in this place. There is an ancient saying that 'it isn't paranoia if they really are out to get you.' You'll find out, or maybe you are simply so used to all this politicking that you do not see it for what it is any longer. As for the problem as I see it, it is such a subtle thing and a poison would have to be very slow acting. So perhaps not a poison outright but a medicine that interferes and causes the opposite reaction you wish to create in your patient."

"So what does this ... wait, are you truly insisting on saying that perhaps certain of the plague victims were poisoned ... uh ... given the incorrect medication?"

I shrugged.

He sighed. "Yes, I suppose I must put that under the column of possibilities now." He brought his fist down on his desk. "Damnation. This on top of what we already suspect and no way to tell if one dovetails with the other." He sighed. "And now to return to the reason I called you in here before."

"What do you need to know? You seem to have it all figured out."

He snorted. "If I had it all figured out we would not be in this fix. In point of fact I told you the truth about that box of keys."

"Where did the box of keys come from?"

"The former Sheriff had them hidden within his desk in a locking compartment. I found them when I was cleaning it out. How much did you know about Ceena and Tonya?"

"I don't think much more than I've already spoken to you about. There are other things ... all of their ..." I stopped and grew quiet in concentration. "All of their children died young."

"Yes. Probably due to a weakness they inherited from their father's addiction."

"But ... but wait. Do you know what the duration of the addiction was?"

"Several years at least ... ten or so given strange entries in the bookkeeping."

"Then it doesn't make sense that it was the cause of the problems ..."

I must have been concentrating on chasing the thought that had just popped into my head that the Sheriff couldn't catch my attention. "You're beginning to disappear into the fog Widow."

I held up one finger trying to remember all I knew. "Blast! I'll need to find the family genealogy ... I think they are on the book case in Ceena's bedchamber."

"And why exactly are you suddenly frothing at the mouth over genealogies?"

Trying to speak plainly I said, "If we were operating under the assumption that my husband's addiction is what caused his childless state then I am sorry, that is not correct. He was ... you know I don't even know how old he was. But I do know that Ceena and Tonya came to him as brides when there were about the age I am now and Ceena had been married to him for 25 years and Tonya 24 at the time of his death. It has been several years since either had become pregnant. And the one son that I told you would be several years older than the current Guardian had he lived. And Ceena's son would have been about your age."

"Ceena had a son?"

"She had three and a couple of daughters. None of them lived to be older than five. Tonya had one son and two daughters. All three died in infancy. That doesn't count the miscarriages they had."

He was scribbling and going through a book he had jerked down from his book case.

"If you can't treat her as a sister wife then treat her as the daughter neither of you could manage to give me."

The Sheriff said, "What?"

"It is something my husband once said in anger to Ceena and Tonya. The fight that time was terrible. My husband may have been old but he was still robust and could bellow like a buffalo herder. And be as violent as that animal as well. Stomp and snort ... but he never hit, I must confess he never once hit."

"But his words were enough to draw blood."

I glanced up and then back down when I saw compassion on the Sheriff's face. "That is not what we are discussing, only his ability, or lack of, to begat heirs. An extremely important function of both The Linder and the Guardian."

The Sheriff nodded. "Agreed. Do you think this is an issue of inheritance? From a woman's point of view I mean."

"I don't know what to think at this point. But ... perhaps ... no, this is insane. I don't know if I can even say this. I need time to think. I'm tired and ... and this ..."

"Then you shall have your time. But not too much of it Widow. I feel as if the Reaper is standing over Tomas and as long as their is breath in my body I'll do all in my power to protect him."

I looked back at him and saw how serious he was. "Give me tonight to rest and think ... to ask a few gentle questions of Marta."


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

I stumbled to the below stairs staff area ready to beg for a cup of tea ... good, strong youpon tea or something similar. I didn't normally imbibe in such strong and expensive tisanes but I was like a guttering candle and needed energy desperately.

I never got it. First I was stopped by Mr. Tosh and made my apologies for not reaching him sooner, explaining that the Sheriff had needed a statement. Then as I was leaving his office I was summoned to the gazebo.

I walked as quickly as I could without running since the summons had come directly from the Guardian's wife.

"I beg your pardon for keeping you waiting."

Mrs. Linder smiled and said, "That's quite all right. I just didn't want you to miss the Vanburens. Please take a moment and sit. How surprised I was to find out that your cousin and Mr. Vanburen here are acquainted."

I sat gently on the edge of my seat. I glanced around and then recognized Timothy Vanburen and inclined my head in his direction but didn't say anything. His grandmother arched an eyebrow and commented, "I see you are still in mourning."

Carefully I said, "Half-mourning ma'am. I would not embarrass the family by appearing at an improper time."

"Ah yes, I had heard that you were forbidden full mourning."

Staying calm despite the desire to grind my teeth I said, "No ma'am, not forbidden ... released. It was in the will."

"Released? How ... unusual."

"Yes ma'am which is why I prefer to ... to prevent confusion by maintaining my darks."

"Has no one encouraged you to change to half-mourning or even to put it away as instructed?"

I disliked her tone more as every syllable passed her lips but remained hospitable and polite. "My cousin, Nat Harper. He wanted me to follow my husband's edict. Of course returning here to Linderhall to fulfill my duty and responsibilities makes it much more appropriate to continue to wear my widow wear. I do not wish for any misunderstandings to occur. I may add a gray ribbon or some other bit of what might be considered foolishness at some later point but for now my vanity must wait. My full focus absolutely must be in supporting Mrs. Linder."

"And not the Guardian," the other woman asked.

Feeling pinched and pulled I took a breath and told her, "We are all to support the Guardian ma'am, I did not think it needed stating. If it does then so I shall. It is doubtful however that the Guardian would gain any benefit from me. I'm well aware of my status." To redirect her attention I turned to the senior Mrs. Vanburen and said, "I did not get to say my personal thanks to your grandson for taking the time out to offer support at my husband's passing. We were all in such shock. Would you permit me to do so now?"

She inclined her head graciously and I turned once again to the young man sitting stiffly and uncomfortably beside her.

"How do you do sir? Have you completed your course of study?"

"Nearly ma'am," he answered like I was as old as his grandmother. It almost made me laugh but for the sake of status and propriety I managed my mirth.

"My cousin is off to Regional Seminary for further training in his Order."

"Ah yes," he said with a genuine smile. "Brother Harper. We crossed paths during a lecture just two days ago. He had only gotten in the morning from the rail and must have been exhausted but was still able to fix a translation that had us all stumped. He is very talented."

I couldn't help it, I smiled. "Yes, he is."

Mrs. Vanburen said, "You miss him."

"I always knew that Nat would someday get a place at the Regional Seminary. I'm thankful that his care of me was not an impediment to his service. He loves what he does and he is good at it. He is very committed to doing the best he can with the talents that he has been blessed with. I don't know if in the long run he'll stay at the RS but wherever God leads him to serve, he'll be an asset."

Timothy added, "I'm sure of it. He could have really embarrassed the lot of us but instead he turned it into a lesson and ... unbelievably he made that dry assignment fun. The history of his Order is quite extraordinary."

Knowing that some of that 'history' his grandmother would not consider polite chatter for an al fresca cocktail hour I merely inclined my head.

From that point I remained in the background and stayed silent observing Mrs. Linder and Mrs. Vanburen converse. They soon took their leave to head to the rail yard and I gratefully escaped. I was three steps away from the dining hall when I remembered I hadn't checked on Nanny yet so I turned around and nearly ran into the Talbot twins.

"Hello boys. Finished your lessons for the day?"

"Don't have lessons Widow Linder."

"What do you mean you don't have lessons?"

"Have to help with the harvest. We're men now."

"Indeed," I said, trying not to smile at their seriousness. "Are lessons to start back up after the harvest?"

Their shoulders sunk a little. "Da said they better but with a different teacher as he expects us to go to college for agriculture and get a specialty. Last teacher ran off and hasn't been seen since right before the plague came."

"I ... well ..." I sighed. "Run along boys and thank you for working the harvest. We all need to pitch in."

As they walked away ... well ran would be a better description as they never have seemed to be able to move at a reasonable rate of speed ... I pulled out my list tablet made from scraps of rice paper and jotted a note to ask about the teacher. The lists are becoming a job unto themselves to manage.

I finally made it out to the stable where I found Nanny gossiping with the Sheriff's horse Charger. I walked to the corral fence and said, "Made a friend have you ol' girl?"

She came over and wuffled my hair and started lipping my apron. "I'm sorry Nanny, I forgot. It's been a dratted day. The closer I get to getting below stairs moving forward the more the rest of it seems to move backwards. Someone is making life entirely too difficult on purpose and I care for it none at all."

Nanny was disappointed but not affronted by my lack of carrot and stood there giving me someone sensible to converse with for another fifteen minutes.

"Found your confessionary have you?"

I turned and groaned. "Do not take this the wrong way Sheriff but must you turn up everywhere?"

He chuffed a laugh but said nothing.

"I suppose that was rather rude," I admitted. His grin only grew bigger. "Well, I must be off but I was wondering ..."

"Why do I have a feeling you are about to hand me more work?"

"I hope not. The last thing I want is another mystery, which is why I am hoping you can tell me."

"Ask away Widow."

"The Talbot boys said that they are helping with the harvest."

"The red-headed terrors? They gave me an ulcer the one time I watched them climbing in the barn rafters during an inspection by the GC to make sure the harvest we intended exporting was infection free. But yes, to answer your question all but the youngest children have been called to duty for the harvest. There isn't a family near the Hall that has not suffered from the latest plague. Most are well but John was worried by how slow everyone is recovering and said we'd need to watch the workers or we'd wind up with a winter crisis on our hands from relapses. James talked to the heads of households and offered them the option ... have their children help for this harvest and planting in the Spring or bring in migrants to bare the load. To a man they chose their children."

I nodded in understanding. "It's a matter of economy. Each family is paid based on what they harvest."

"That's why we gave them the option. Plus Tomas said he preferred that the coinage remain in the local economy to create good will. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"On the first part. On the second part I was told that the teacher disappeared. If any of the children expect to go to college these introductory courses are really almost mandatory."

"Mr. Tosh mentioned he'd place an advertisement for a replacement as we have no one local interested in the position. As to the teacher who disappeared, I'm not sure what to make of it. He left in the dead of night with what appears barely a satchel of belongings but I was unable to track him by rail, coach, or find any one admitting that they saw him leaving on foot." He sighed. "I can see the pinwheels spinning Widow."

"What?"

"You didn't like my answer," he explained.

I shook my head. "It's not that as it's been unknown to happen Sheriff. We had a teacher do the same thing when I was in college. It just bothers me ... the timing."

"It could be coincidental and probably is but for now I'm not going to spend any more time on it than I already have. A letter was posted to the man's family but we've heard nothing back."

"Then I'll leave it alone which probably relieves you."

He chuffed a laugh that sounded even more tired than I was. "It does. We've enough mysteries between us. Now, permit me to make a suggestion?"

I inclined my head in a cautious nod.

"Allow me to escort you to the Hall. Tomas ordered me a pot of cocoa from his private supplies and if I drink the whole of it myself it may be another three days before I see any sleep."

"Cocoa," I whispered in awe. "I ... I had it once. It was at a Guardian Banquet that was hosted here at Linderhall."

"Wendolyn's family is in shipping and her father sets great store by Tomas, even before he ascended in status. He is always sending them imports. I normally stay away from the stuff."

It seemed an odd thing from someone from a family of high status to say so I asked him, "Why?"

"Because it may be here one day and gone the next, just like anything else in life. But imports are even more precarious than most. My mother died because the medicine she had become dependent upon comprised an ingredient that could only be obtained through import and then the import simply ceased in availability ... as did my mother."


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

The Sheriff and I walked to a suite of rooms I was unfamiliar with. Looking around at the furnishings I said, "These were closed up since before my husband became Guardian. I had no idea they were even still livable."

"They weren't when I chose them ... which was mostly to tweak Father for calling me home from the Guards. He promised me that I would have the same position here as I had had in the field but then I found out he'd have to demote a man for me to take his place and it wasn't warranted." He snorted. "He'd done it on purpose knowing I wouldn't let him take a man's commission and status away just so I could have a pretty title."

"What was his reasoning if I may ask?"

"Father and I ... we butted heads quite often over the fact that I had chosen the Guards over the position he had wanted for me which was some blathering idiocy being an assistant to an assistant for some undersecretary or other in the GC. I tolerate politics, I admit I may even be capable of utilizing the concepts and methods for my own ends, but it is not the only thing I want written on my tombstone. Here lies Daren Linder, politician. Not pleasing to my ears in the least."

"Does your current position fill the longing for your old one?"

He shrugged. "I've been so busy since all the mysteries began to reveal themselves that I haven't had time to worry about it much. I had to give up my commission to become the Sheriff, there isn't really any going back at this point."

"That isn't what I asked."

He glanced at me as we entered a brightly lit alcove with chairs and a table whereupon sat a covered tray. He removed the cover and snorted. "Two cups. Tomas is maneuvering."

"I am not sure I wish to know what that means. When a Linder starts maneuvering ..." I gave a shudder.

A cynical chuckle was my answer as well as, "Keep that in mind and none of us will be able to hurt you ... at least not much. Care to pour?"

"If you wish." The aroma was dark and spicy. I took a sip and it was unlike what I remembered from the banquet yet similar. Ever curious where food is concerned I asked, "What are the ingredients? Surely this isn't just cocoa."

He shook his head. "No it's something Wendolyn says her father learned to drink on his long voyages to the jungles of the Southerlands. Said the recipe is ancient, from centuries before the Days of Destructions even. Said something called an Aztec created the beverage. Wendolyn and Tomas both enjoy a cup of the brew on a regular basis but Tomas admits that if he drinks too often and then has to give it up he gets a headache."

"Caffeine. Like a strong yaupon tea."

"Ah yes, very similar. Gwendolyn adds milk and sweetening to her cocoa but Tomas says that to him that is too close to drinking a confection for his preference. This Aztec brew is merely the cocoa and chilies boiled together and then you strain out the bits from the peppers. It is strong but does create the desired effect. Is it too harsh? I can probably scare up some sweetening someplace."

"No, it is actually quite nice as it is. I prefer my teas strong ... stronger than many like them. Nat and I both do. Some people consider them bitter but it is more that we like to concentrate the benefit where possible. I will occasionally add honey during cold spells but that is usually for its medicinal affect rather than for taste."

"What do you normally drink?"

"I know you might consider them common - and certainly they are compared to this costly fare - but during warm seasons I like a lemon verbena tisane and during the colder times of year I greatly enjoy warm drinks that use rose hips as their base ... a spicy rose hip tea can take the chill off even during the worst of winter storms and additionally helps prevent colds and other annoying ailments that tend to occur that time of year."

"Actually I'm fond of both of those myself." I looked at him to see whether he was being strange again and he said, "No really, I do. I went into the Guard younger than most, ran away from home - with Dwen's help - and learned quickly that what I was used to at Father's holdings was not what I would be experiencing in what I came to understand was the real world. Father, Tomas, and Gerald overprotected us younger ones ... started mostly after the girls were abducted I suppose. Then they tried to order our lives for us even more. Well-intentioned but ... certainly not something easy to swallow, especially as I was just as much a Linder man as my brothers though with a tall helping of the stubbornness from my mother's side to go with it."

"As if I hadn't figured that last part out," I said as dryly as my mouth could make it.

He laughed and I realized the incipient headache I had been experiencing was gone. I looked at my empty cup in regret and said, "This ... this has been pleasurable Sheriff."

"But you need to hurry off to your next list making project."

I groaned. "Yes. I had no idea what I was agreeing to."

"Are you sorry you came?"

I gave my response careful thought before offering it. "No. No I am not."


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Sabbath Day. Nat would certainly have something to say if he saw me at the moment. He'd say my bruised foot and bruised pride was just desserts for my actions.

I attended worship with the Linder family and found with real pleasure that the Brother installed in the rectory was not some flighty bird that only cared to make everyone feel good but actually knew the Scriptures and spoke with authority; even when he pinched my toes. Should have taken the sermon as a warning as it was on the need to rest body and mind on a regular basis in order to be more receptive to His guidance ... and to keep our commonsense from taking a vacation.

It was with surprise that I had learned the entire Hall practically shuts down on the Sabbath. The staff have the day off except for the most basic of duties and those they take turns with. Marta and I had quite the conversation about it while I quickly reworked the schedules.

"I'm sorry my dear, I should have made certain someone had spoken with you about it."

Curious I asked, "What did the staff say when Mrs. Linder requested the change?"

"A little confused at first, worried that it was a trap of some kind, but eventually very open to it. It is the Widows that ... well not you of course but ..." She stopped and stared at her hands and the confusion I saw on her face nearly broke my heart.

"Yes, I can well imagine that Ceena and Tonya would have quite a bit to say about it."

She blinked and then smiled, "Yes, but there was no fight like they would have done before. No, unlike in the past this time they used techniques similar to what they did to you."

"Heavens," I muttered in sympathy. "No wonder The Linder's wife grew so protective of her status. And the stress just caused it to stick into habit once the effects of the plague began. From what little I've had to do with her she seems a reasonable woman if a little ... stiff."

"Yes, stiff. Perhaps she will relax in time but we must accept that she may not and treat her with respect regardless. Some of the Guardian's ... your husband I mean ... some of his wives were quite nice despite the day-to-day struggle of their position. And not all of them were as young as you were when you came. Some were quite mature and secure in their status. It was those that your sister wives fought the worst. I often wondered if it was their own tragic upbringing that caused it. Sad how so many of the wives died so young. Youth did not protect them from the inherent dangers of a woman's lot. I believe that as much as age is why your husband had stopped trying for a younger woman to begat an heir. I wish it had been different for you my dear."

I had a hard time not blurting out what I'd learned about my husband's apparent problem with begatting but Mizz Marta was loyal to the family if she was nothing else and had a sort of filter when she looked at them.

After leaving her side so that she could rest - and she was better but some of the lingering effects such as the memory lapses remained worrying - I headed off to yet another list making meeting when I heard voices and not wishing to be waylaid by anyone else I slipped into an alcove and hid.

As a result by accident I heard Mrs. Kinsey and one of the new staff speaking. "I thought you said there'd be none of this nonsense here."

Mrs. Kinsey answered, "Shhh. We must watch our tongues. This foolishness will not last. It is only a temporary show to impress those Vanburens and the other families in the area that think too much of themselves." The statement was followed by what sounded like a spit which I thought extremely uncouth. "Have you made any headway?"

"No," the other woman snarled. "What were those two thinking? They had years to set up and all they did was see to their own pleasure."

"It was their nature and one of the reasons they were chosen in the first place. Who are we to question the damned?"

I added that overheard conversation to the sum total of what I had been thinking and all it did was convince me that I was right. I had tried to take my concerns to the Sheriff but he and Mr. Tosh are gone for a few days. I think in part due to the fact that they finally found the staff files and were following up on something under guise of Mr. Tosh's job ... similar to what they did when they came to Waverly.

I was glad that The Linder took the initiative and explored on his own so I wouldn't have to reveal any more of my knowledge ... the knowledge that I'd rather not have. I suspect he located the files in the secret room off his private office. It seemed the most logical location but I'm certainly not going to ask.

After worship I had a quiet muncheon with Mizz Marta and Alyce and recited the content of the service for their pleasure. Alyce sticks like a burr to Marta and in truth has taken a great worry off my shoulders. She also brings a great deal of pleasurable company to Marta who enjoys teaching her talents to others. She told me Alyce is coming along nicely despite never having any training beyond the absolute basics before coming to Linderhall.

After it became apparent that Marta needed to rest I took my leave once again and having nothing else pressing decided to finally get serious about doing something about the Dower House.

I started with the disgusting upstairs privies. It took a great deal of boiling water and scrubbing to whip them into shape. They still don't shine but at least they are hygienic. I took a swipe at wiping down all of the other privies and bathing chambers as well and at least got rid of all the foulness and most of the filth.

Leaving those rooms open to air out I turned to the kitchen but first I changed my outer wear and apron. I could not abide the idea of cleaning that room still covered in filth from the others. I tossed the items over the outside line and one time when I went outside to dump a bucket of dirty water I found Mrs. Talbot taking them down.

"Now Widow, I know you're fond of keeping up your housewifery skills, but it makes no sense to waste the water when tomorrow is laundry day at the Hall," she told me in a scold when I told her that there was no need to add to the burden of others, that I was certainly capable of taking care of my own clothing.

I let it go because in truth I had a tub full of underthings that needed attention as well. She snatched those from me with another scold. "You're here to help the Housekeeper, not to house keep."

You know I tell myself that cleaning is relaxing but in point of fact it is actually how I exercise. Sometimes my mind gets in twists that the physical labor enables me to exercise away so it does not interfere with my concentration on my thoughts. I know that sounds counterintuitive but my mother was the same way. She excused it by saying work was good for the soul and didn't hurt the body neither. Either way I am less frazzled after exercising whatever demons bedevil me.

Once the kitchen was clean I stopped for a light snack and had almost decided to put the work away and start a letter to Nat but then I thought with the kitchen clean why not unpack at least some of my housegoods and put them away.


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Pride goeth before a fall indeed. A few housegoods became a few more and turned into some which turned into the decision that since I had started I might as well make an effort to finish because who knew when I would manage to get back to it.

The housegoods were easy enough to put away ... the kitchen ware barely filled a corner of the area the designer of the old stone structure had originally allotted. Pots and pans I hung up on hooks along the wall in what I thought was a pleasing pattern. My seasonings and medicaments I put in the pantry to join the things that Mrs. Cooksey had sent over and the items that Mr. Tosh had procured for me. I put my braided rugs on the old stone foundation floor and even managed to fit my braided seat covers onto the corner table benches so I wouldn't have to eat out in the cold dining areas.

In point of fact I took most of the sheets out of the cedar closet and used them to dust cover most of the rest of the house save for the privies and the library. I finished uncovering the spartan furnishings in the staff bed chamber and only needed a quick wipe with an oil cloth. The smell of lemon balm furniture polish permeated the entire bed chamber. Then I made the bed freshly using my own sheets and placed what I didn't use in the now empty cedar closet along with my drying cloths and other household linens that didn't belong in the kitchen.

It was at that point that I became overconfident. I looked at the last stack of trunks and considered it a challenge rather than as an opportunity to experience disaster. My strategy was to empty the trunks starting at the top and work my way down, removing trunks as I emptied them to get at the one below. Sounds like a sane and constructive plan yes? The flaw in my brilliance was in using the trunks themselves to stand on as I emptied them instead of using my vaunted commonsense and waiting until I could get a step stool or some other tool.

I was half way through emptying my college books from the trunk on the top of the pile when the disaster occurred. In my hurry to empty the heavy books and tablets full of notes I had forgotten that I had filled the tray of the lid with a few items. The items weren't especially heavy but what happened was as I emptied the books the lid caused the trunk to unbalance and topple. Unfortunately I was standing on one of the lower trunks in the messy stack and as the trunk started to topple in my direction ... I lost my balance.

Down I went. Down came the mostly empty trunk landing on my foot and if it had ended there it would not have been near so bad. But then the next trunk down which was filled with canisters and jars of more medicaments and supplies also began to tip and wound up leaning on the trunk that had fallen and now my foot was well and truly wedged.

Worse, I shrieked. It was the shock of the pain and the scare of the fall. I was but a moment and still trying to pull myself from beneath the mess I had created when there was ferocious pounding on the front door. I simply didn't have the attention or the breath to tell them to go away for I was beginning to panic which was a purely daft thing to do and has taught me a lesson. It is a lot easier to be calm when it isn't you buried under the boxes.

"Widow?!"

The voice was so loud I knew they had discovered that I had the half door open on the kitchen and then I heard boots pounding on my newly clean floors.

"Oh tell me you at least wiped your feet," I muttered. The next thing out of my mouth when I saw who my rescuer was, "It would be you."

"Damnation, what the blazes happened?!"

"Sheriff save your cursing and please help me. I'm afraid I'm stuck."

He moved something and it caused the tipped trunk to shift putting even more weight upon my foot. "Ahh!"

"What?! Are you injured?!"

"Move the trunk ... just ... just move that top trunk please."

When he finally understood my predicament he not only moved the tipped trunk but the one upon my foot and me as well and so quickly it felt like he managed to do it all in one move.

The feeling rushed back into my extremity like a vicious attack and I rocked holding my foot until it subsided into a painful throb. "Ohhhhhh botheration."

Then I heard, "Jude's run to get Mother Sir."

"Good thought. Empty that chair over there so I can sit the Widow upon it."

"There's no need ..."

"Hush. I allow Mrs. Talbot to determine if there's need of something or not."

He sat me in the chair and pulled a poof over to prop my foot upon when Mrs. Talbot ran in breathlessly. She kneeled down and got my foot out of my shoe and then told the Sheriff, "Turn your back Sheriff."

"What for?"

I threw a pillow at him causing the boys to goggle and told him, "Turn ... your ... back."

He looked affronted for about two seconds before realizing I was wearing long-stockings rather than the shorter boot-stockings.

His ears turned pink and he turned sharply while saying, "You too boys. We must behave as gentleman."

Mrs. Talbot and I rolled our eyes and the same time then nearly laughed when we caught each other doing it. My smile however devolved into a grimace of pain as she examined my foot.

She stood up and said, "Seems just a bad bruise but I'd say it's bad enough that Dr. Cummins should take a look."

"Oh no ... that's not necessary. Really. I'll just soak it and ..."

The Sheriff interrupted to ask, "And deprive my cousin of the opportunity to pay you back for you tender care of his wounds?"

I gave him a cross look but could do no more than that because I was already creating a spectacle as several people had come to see what the furor was over.

The Sheriff asked, "Mrs. Talbot can I leave this in your hands?" He indicated the mess upon the floor.

"Of course sir."

A couple of the other women there said, "We'll help."

I heard someone cluck, "Trying to do this by herself. What Mizz Marta is going to say I don't know."

I was going to ask that no one say anything to Mizz Marta when I was scooped up and the Sheriff started carrying toward the Hall. "What on earth? I am perfectly capable of moving under my own power. Put me down."

"No. Mrs. Talbot said you are to see the good doctor and that is exactly where you are going."

There were entirely too many grins in the crowd and it was difficult to ignore them but I did my best. As the Sheriff carted me away I told Jode, "Tell them not to bother taking the dust sheets off. I did it to save work since I only intend on using the kitchen and library."

"Yes'm."

The Sheriff was beginning to sweat before we were half way to the Hall. "Will you put me down?! This is ridiculous. You are going to strain something."

"Hardly. I've carried pack and gear through swamps of the Southerlands that were heavier than you."

"Nevertheless ..."

"Forget it Widow."

"You are only taking pleasure in the idea that Dr. Cummins is going to get some of his own back."

"That too ... but ... but it is really the tears upon your face that truly concerns me. It must have been painful indeed to cause that."

"Tears?" I swiped at my face and found it damp. "Botheration! I don't cry!"

"You do ... at least your cousin told me I caused you to after the Waverly event. I ... I have yet to apologize sufficiently for that. The longer I know you the more corkbrained a thing it seems to have had such a plan."

"You say the absolutely strangest thing to be a Linder."

He snorted. "You aren't the first to accuse me of that. I believe it is because I take more after the Nealy side. Father thought Mother's family was all chuckleheaded that is certain."

As he entered through a side door and started carrying me up the stairs quietly I said, "Being all Linder isn't ... isn't always a good thing Sheriff. And if being more Nealy allows you to ... to escape some of that then I for one am happy for you."

He stopped on the landing that led to the hallway to the doctor's offices and said, "So you think there is some hope for me then?"

Turning my face away to prevent him from seeing how close to smiling I was despite the pain I said, "There's always hope for those who seek it."


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Properly chastised by one and all I am under orders to remain off my foot for at least a day which means that despite tomorrow being Luna and the beginning of a new work week I am going to be stuck inside with my foot propped up making menus, going over lists, and in general being reminded that I am a widow and not a monkey crawling about all over the trees.

I suppose I should be insulted at the comparison but I'm not. They mean well and disliked me getting injured.

Monkeys are filthy little irritants. I remember when I was very young and they first expanded their range into the forests surrounding Harper. They bred like rabbits and people were soon having to keep their shutters and doors locked tight all day whether they were in or out. And even capping their fireplaces when they weren't lit or the monsters would send their smaller members down that way to break into a cabin.

They stripped trees, ransacked food silos, and spread disease and created the worst mischief by loosening the pins holding animal gates closed, throwing tack onto the floor, and dumping their waste down unprotected wells. Some thought them cute and funny until they were upon the receiving end of their onslaught and then they were no longer such harmless, adorable characters. Father finally contacted other woodsmen throughout the region as well as a few from outside it and was given tips on hunting the vermin. It was only luck that we found that the monkeys were susceptible to most of the same plagues that affected us and after the plague that took my family hardly any monkeys remain in Harper and the few that are there are kept in check by local hunters.

"You are laughing at me," I fussed, after everyone else had returned to their homes.

The Sheriff smiled, "A bit. At least now that I am assured that your injury is slight. Still, do not do that again Widow, it could have been much worse."

"Yes, yes. I do not need another lecture. The punishment I will feel tomorrow as my work piles higher and deeper is flogging enough."

"So bad as all that?"

"It will be." I added judiciously, "Though I do plan on using the time wisely and if a few people come to me rather than me to them I might just ..."

"I brought you something."

"I ...," I stopped, losing my train of thought. "I beg your pardon?"

"I brought you something."

Cautiously I asked, "What?"

"A letter. From your cousin."

"What?! How?! Where is it? Did you see him? How is he? Oh I've wondered so."

He chuckled as he pulled the missive from his pocket. "I was bringing it to you when I heard you scream."

When he handed it to me I hugged it and almost felt like crying again. "Thank you," I told him despite my throat feeling like it was going to close. "Thank you so much."

He smiled as if seeing my pleasure repaid any possible inconvenience. "The town that Tosh and I were at was so close to the Seminary that ... well ... I rode over and caught him in the middle of a lecture. I'm afraid I rather disrupted things but he didn't seem to mind. And he's no slouch either; introduced Tosh and I around to several Deans and professors. Now if you're sure you will be fine I need to go give a report to Tomas and James. Likely they're anxious to hear how things went."

"Why didn't you say so? If they are displeased, please tell them it was my fault and that I ..."

"Hush that nonsense. Tomas may be The Linder and the Guardian but I warned him when he gained his status that he'd have to find another Sheriff if he expected me to bow and scrape. I've not got it in me. Besides, the man's my brother and I know of so many of his youthful peccadilloes that he doesn't have the capacity to awe me or roll me like he does with others."

"I'm almost afraid to ask what his response was."

"Tomas? He just laughed and said good because he needs someone to help balance out his elevated consequence. That's what James and I are for. John too somewhat. We each serve our purpose."

"Doctor Cummins to balance out his temper, the Chancellor to balance his authority over the Law and Funds, and you to keep his head from swelling the size of Linderhall."

The Sheriff nodded and left on a hardy laugh and leaving me to enjoy my letter from Nat.

The letter from Nat was quite long which told me he'd been writing it well before the Sheriff visited. If I had known the Sheriff was going to be so close - and would actually take the time - I would have sent my letter to Nat with him.

I was happy to find out how well he is doing and how excited he is at the opportunities being presented to him. He told me that when he has more time he will try and put together some book binding supplies for me, that he has learned some new recipes that put the old ones he was using in the town library to shame. I am afraid I am going to need those recipes as when the trunk with the last few books in them fell, a few of the bindings on my tablets cracked. Perhaps I will recover the most useful tablets of notes and recipes. I'm not above spending some of my stipend if I know that it will benefit me in the long run.

Which reminds me I need to make a list so that I can go to the market on Veneris. My foot should be healed by then and I will ride Nanny and use saddle bags to bring back what I purchase. My problem is that I must find out from the Chancellor when I may apply for my stipend. I have some of my circles left and since they are stamped with the Linder family crest I shouldn't have trouble redeeming them; nevertheless, I don't want to spend them all until I have a better idea of when I can replace them.


	37. Chapter 36

I was off my foot for not one day but two drat it. The whole of both Luna and Martis were a hard lesson in patience and humility. Everyone was most kind of course but that only made me feel worse.

They also seemed to enjoy putting me in my place which I must say was not enjoyable at all, especially every time I heard the phrase "it makes no sense".

"Widow, it makes no sense. You do the schedules and I'll have the boys here move the trunks about so that they can be got to and emptied." That was Mrs. Talbot and "the boys" were her older son Joel and a couple of his peers all of whom were roughly the size of a full grown buffalo. I am sincerely grateful that the foundation of the house is of stone or surely their walk would have rattled the dishware in the cabinets and the sconces upon the wall. As it was when they took the empty trunks to the third floor for storage dust from the ceiling fixtures drifted down reminding me of the chore I had not quite gotten to yet.

Mrs. Limpkin is the Head Laundress and she has her many daughters distributed amongst her department and under her sister in law's tutelage in the Stitchery House. The two of them came over and I watched helpless as they attacked and clucked over my wardrobe.

"Widow, it makes no sense. This may have sufficed back in your birth town but you are now returned to Linderhall. Where are you to find the time to whip us all into shape if you at the same time are trying to wash and mend your widow's wear. Besides, while you've done a fair job maintaining what you've got you'd best let someone at them that knows a bit more what they're doing ... begging your pardon I'm sure."

It's not that I cannot stitch - I never would have gotten my competency levels to get my certificates had that been the case. It is that the dratted fabric that most of my wardrobe is in simply isn't proof against everyday normal wear and tear. Those two ladies are also the ones responsible for placing unused garments and linens into containers so that the moths and silverfish cannot destroy them before they can be made useful for some other person or project.

At their instruction all of Ceena and Tonya's clothing was removed from the dressing room and taken away. However I suspect that they've been used to adjust my wardrobe accordingly because I must say some of my pieces have gone out in one style and come back completely made over into something different. Frayed cuffs have been replaced with either the latest fashion in the turned up style or taken off entirely and replace with lace in both fitted and loose styles. I've seen the inserts changed from a common and solid cotton to more intricately pleated panels. My buttons have gone from serviceable to decorative. And while I more than appreciate their efforts it is a bit unnerving. I've no reason to turn myself into some fancy bird and the only response I get when I say such is a blank face as if they do not hear me at all.

At every turn I've had people under foot and it has smarted my pride a great deal. The carpets have been taken out and beaten, the floors polished with the buffer, the glass removed from the lamps and cleaned. I've had workmen come in and check the gas lines and plumbing ... without asking for them to mind you ... and any number of other things.

For instance, the bed chamber that I had chosen was deemed inappropriate and somehow all of my belongings were relocated to a room upstairs - not Ceena or Tonya's thank the saints - and a young woman about my age installed as my helper taking up the bedchamber beside the kitchen. I was ready to blow a gasket at that point but could not when I looked into the girl's eyes and saw the pride she had at getting the appointment. Apparently Mizz Marta had hand-picked her as ready to advance in her status and having no such opportunity within the Hall was placed with me. She won't be about all day as I don't need that much "help" but will split her time between the Dower House and the Hall where she helps Kate Cummins - the doctor's wife - with the housekeeping in their suite. Her name is Darla and she told me proudly her income helps her family, her mother being a widow of some years with no desire to remarry. She is the eldest of eight so I can well imagine the income helps enormously.

I had managed to behave with some aplomb despite my growing consternation at the changes that were occurring without me agreeing to them when the Sheriff came to ask me a few questions and twitted me about it all.

After catching him off guard by flinging a pillow at his head he had the temerity to make it worse by laughing at me and asking me what had my tail feathers burning.

"Why you ... ! You try being managed in this fashion and not being able to say yea or nay for fear of offending someone's feelings. I feel as if ... ooooooo ... I feel caught up in a game not of my making and while knowing the rules also knowing that all of the other players are circumventing them to the point of complete destruction of my peace of mind!"

He finally sat in the other padded chair that had been placed in the library and said with a chuckle, "Feel better for letting it out?"

"No," I pouted mulishly. "It's worse than when Nat manages me. I'm terribly grateful but have no way beyond words to express it and it is driving me mad."

"Serves you right."

"I beg your pardon?"

He chuckled again but beneath it I could see real fatigue. "You're cursed independent and knowledgeable for your age regardless of your widowhood and drive a person mad because of it. You've also created a place to use your talents to everyone's advantage so fast you've relieved a lot of people of an anxiety they had no way to express much less rectify and seeing you harmed simply because of your stubborn independence recreated what you were trying to repair. But this time they've a way to express it at the same time ensuring that you continue in the capacity that was serving them best. Let them flutter and manage you, it makes them feel better, like they've some power in assuring that things will get set right after being so wrong for so long. Many of them knew you when you first came as a bride and are proud at how well you've turned out despite the circumstances. They felt badly that they couldn't do more for you while your husband was alive."

"You're making up a faradiddle just to ease my nerves."

He shook his head and stretched his legs out like he was ready to stay a while. "Actually Widow I had it from Mr. Tosh himself and I was amazed he actually unbent as much as he did to tell me. You're well-liked and I gather it is because despite your status you've not used it against anyone and have always been willing to learn or lend a hand even with Ceena and Tonya pinching at you. I gather that some suspect that is why your husband didn't quite know what to make of you; you reminded him of some of his wives from his younger years and never seemed to blame him personally for the place you found yourself in."

That was a discussion I really didn't want to have with the Sheriff. "I'll not speak of it as none of the three are here to present their side so let us avoid the topic and instead you tell me what brought you out of your way?"

"It isn't out of my way Widow," he said with a smile. "Besides I've come to discuss some of the same topics that we've covered in the past. Do you mind if I shut the door and window? I don't want to be overheard."

"I suppose but please tell Darla that is why the door is closed. I don't need people getting ideas. They already grin an inordinate amount when you are around, no need to give them even more reason to talk."

All he did was smile mischievously but he did as I requested and when he came back the discussion turned quite serious.


	38. Chapter 37

"First off, I finally got around to reading the note you left for me in my communication box. Do you mind sharing your thoughts ... or should I ask if you even have time to discuss them?"

"Actually it will be a relief. I haven't known quite how to approach you with them and they've been weighing heavily."

"That pleasant are they?"

"You speak in jest Sheriff but," I gave a shudder. "I assure you the thoughts have brought me absolutely no pleasure. Especially not as to the hypothesis they led me to develop."

"Very well, proceed."

I tried to gain some comfort and was about to put my foot upon the floor when the Sheriff nudged the poof so that the distracting ache behind my knee was considerably relieved. "Oh ... thank you."

"You're welcome. Been stuck in the same spot myself after getting knocked about while on maneuvers. Damned irritating."

His cursing aside I agreed with the sentiment. After nodding I began. "After our ... discussion ... in your office triggered some rather fantastical thoughts you gave me leave to investigate them."

"I did. With the cautionary note not to bring attention to yourself."

"I was indeed cautious and it was rather amazingly easy to do so. Did you know that Mrs. Kinsey is actually the ex-spouse of the valet rather than merely his sister as I was first told?"

He seemed unsurprised. "Yes, it was one of the oddities that stood out when we discovered the staff files."

"Odd is right because in truth," I felt my face heat up. "I went looking in Ceena's genealogies for something else and was startled to find a relatively new set of entries under Tonya's maiden family who have the surname Kinser."

"Go on."

"I saw an original entry for a female by the name of Saphon and a male by the name of Jobert - notable as being the same names as Mrs. Kinsey and the valet who was also called Kinsey. Only these names were listed as Tonya's siblings." I looked at the Sheriff to see him blink. I continued, "Saphon Kinser was married twice at a very young age and both contracts were ended due to a failure to begat. If I understand the entries it appears it was believed to be the fault of the male in each case."

Astonished the Sheriff said, "They got rather personal in their entries did they not?"

I brushed my hands across my eyes for the briefest of moments before answering, "You've no idea. I felt like scrubbing my eyes after reading some of them. I knew that Ceena in particular had a terrible fascination with some of the fertility issues that have been faced by many families since the Days of Destruction ... and I pray I am wrong but she may have been the one to create the fascination in our husband or perhaps it is what drew them to each other ... but what I read seems almost like an obsession which in and of itself is a clue."

"Now where was I ... oh yes. After those two contracts were broken a line was drawn connecting Saphon and Jobert. That's when I went back and realized that what I had thought were middle names of the siblings was actually the surname of their fathers. Saphon and Jobert have the same mother as Tonya but all three had different fathers. To Saphon and Jobert were first born a set of twins. The first was stillborn and unnamed and apparently severely malformed. The second was a girl named Sada who was - and I quote - terminated when it was determined that she was mentally defective."

"By all the martyrs ..."

"It gets worse. Three more children were born to the marriage in quick succession and all three were terminated for the same reason before their second birthday. The third of those births caused some complications and it was determined that Saphon would be unable to bare any more children."

"Didn't sound like she should have any to begin with. You hear of such things occurring in the borderlands but you never think it is going to happen in our civilized society."

"Agreed," I told him though I was rather less charitable about some such practices. "At the end of that entry is a note that the marriage contract was broken. There is no note that Saphon remarried but there is an entry stating that Jobert had two children out of wedlock and that the children were taken away from the mother and adopted to a family of the damned."

"Excuse me, to a what?"

"A family of the damned. I had no idea what that meant when I first read it either. Allow me to continue though and it will be easier for you to see."

"I'm not sure I want to see."

I sighed. "And once you see there will be no unseeing it."

He started to ask me something but then stopped and allowed me to continue.

"The coincidences of the names leads me to no other conclusion than Saphon is our own Mrs. Kinsey and Jobert Kinser/Kinsey was your father's valet. It even explains the confusion as to whether they were ex-spouses or siblings ... they were both. And explains why a church Brother would feel the need to post something to their staff files. But it also means that both Saphon and Jobert were half siblings of the Widow Tonya, a fact kept well hidden."

"And Widow Ceena."

"No. Tonya and Ceena had different mothers but the same father."

"That's right. The pirate."

"The wealthy and well-connected pirate," I agreed.

"Interesting in an extremely disturbing way but not necessarily applicable to any current mystery."

I shook my head. "Forgive me for saying this but perhaps you need a female assistant for you show a sad lack of curiosity on what should be driving you mad at this point."

"And just why do you say that?"

"Because you do. Or perhaps it is just that you are so focused on your brother's issues; or, too embarrassed to admit that you'd give a lot to look up your own family in those rather explicit genealogies of Ceena's."

He leaned forward, "You satisfied your own curiosity did you?"

"Not at first, it was more going back to investigate what I had wondered about Ceena and Tonya in the first place. Do you remember what I told you of their pregnancies?"

"Yes."

"I will not repeat what those entries contained as calling them disturbing does not suffice. But it was after the last miscarriage for both Tonya and Ceena that a strange stick drawing had been placed and the word 'damnata' written under it which roughly translate to be the damned. I flipped back to Saphon's last entry and found the same marking and word. In fact once I started looking it was all over in the ledgers kept for several families. Some families I know but most I do not."

"So let me understand this 'damnata' or 'damned' must refer to fertility or viability of the begats in some way and further, your theory is that 'family of the damned' actually refers to infertile or begat compromised individuals that have married or formed some type of alliance."

"Rather than theory I prefer to continue to call it an hypothesis as there is no way, at the moment, for me to test or prove my thoughts."

"Very well ... hypothesis."

"In a word, yes. And from this point forward you may well think I have devolved into fantasy ... perhaps better called insanity."

"You have me on pins and needles Widow. Continue."

"This is no hilarity Sheriff. I'm not sure I'm not half mad as it sounds like such a conspiracy once I listened to my own thoughts."


	39. Chapter 38

"I ... well ... for whatever reason I did look at the Linder genealogies which for your information are contained in no less than five volumes with the older volumes written in other hands and in the Old Language rather than in today's Common."

Incredulously the Sheriff asked, "You can read the Old Language?"

"Not as fluently as Nat but he taught me so that I could read some of the older manuscripts in the college library pertaining to gardening and cooking. The genealogies are very repetitive and once you figure out the words and recognize what is a name and what is not, it really isn't all that difficult."

The Sheriff snorted. "Not difficult? Not even James can read the Old Language beyond a few words that look similar to what we have in today's Common or those that have obvious Latin roots and even then he says that half the time you think a word should mean one thing and a professional translator says that it means something else entirely."

I shrugged. Nat was just a very good teacher. "Suffice it to say that your brother would find the genealogies interesting as far as how the various alliances were formed and it might give him an insight in to how to continue and strengthen them. One thing I will tell you whether you are curious or not, the Linder genealogies are free of most of the mutations suffered once beyond the generation that survived the Days of Destruction."

"The genealogies go back that far?!"

"Indeed, and further actually listing individuals that lived during the Days of Destruction and report names they claimed to be descended from. And with the obvious age of the genealogies and how they are written in multiple handwritings I would say that they are fairly accurate at least back to where people were quoting from memory their ancestors. Which is what makes my husband stand out."

"In what way?"

"First it is the number of wives ... I now know with certainty that I was number fifteen ... and none of them ending in a broken contract, not even the first wife. And let me add this. The woman protested her innocence until the very end, including in the midst of her execution. She claimed someone bore false witness against her; that despite her heart break and anger, neither of which she denied, she would never stoop to murder. Can you guess who she claimed bore false witness?" When he did not answer I said, "The newest wife at the time, Ceena Bovista Linder."

The Sheriff rubbed his chin then asked, "And you know this how?"

"I went to the main Linderhall library, where copies of all of the legal documents are kept, and pulled the old files."

"Your cousin taught you how to research legal cases as well?"

"There is no need to sound so put out. Mostly it was the necessity of learning so I could complete my self-directed studies at the college. I couldn't just wait for a Brother or Sister to do it for me you know."

"Of course," he said with an odd twist of his lips. "Heaven forfend that you should have to wait to learn something."

Choosing to ignore his tone I told the rest of it. "Less than a year later Tonya was brought into the marriage. And from what I understand from reading a few of the other wives' journals the pair often seemed in the middle of some contretemps or other ... usually with their sister wives. And their religious practices also caused a great deal of discomfort in the family."

"This agrees with what Wendolyn discovered during some discussions with the Vanburens who seem inordinately grateful to have seen the cessation of those practices."

"Did she also mention the senior Mrs. Vanburen being related to my husband's first wife?"

"It was hinted at."

"She is, on her mother's side. And they remained close for several years after their respective marriages before responsibilities and status had them occasionally working at cross purposes and supporting different coalitions."

"Now that's a bit of history that Tomas might find useful."

"Indeed, but back to what I was saying. Looking in the genealogies I found the 'damned' symbol on a couple of my husband's wives, not all of them however. It was then I noticed a very tiny symbol by the name of some of the wives and many of the children."

"Another symbol?"

"Yes. It is the same symbol that the apothecaries use to denote a poison ... a circle with an x directly beneath it."

He was silent then shook his head. "You are not implying ..."

"I'm rather afraid that I am. The wives and children that died in childbirth, were stillborn, or died of some other natural process do not have that symbol. The unexplained deaths ... do." I swallowed and you could hear my throat click. "I cross referenced everything in the library. I found no contradictions though the death certificates of those with the symbol had various causes of death that were on their surface quite plausible except for one that is listed as death by misadventure by person or persons unknown. This was the wife that I eventually replaced."

The Sheriff became very, very silent. "You have no proof other than innuendo?"

I closed my eyes and then opened them resolutely. I turned the clasp of my lap desk and from within it pulled out a small volume. "This is Tonya's journal. I found it in her room when I was looking for the genealogies, which if you are concerned I have locked away from prying eyes. The entries are usually brief, more like a schedule of social engagements, but there are some comments contained therein that ... that are suspicious. The journal covers a five year period." He reached to take it. "I ... I ask one thing of you."

"And that is?"

"There are certain entries in there that pertain ... pertain to me. They are ... disturbingly graphic. The sisters were ..." I shook my head and finished, "The sisters were apparently attempting to determine whether I was fertile or not. Tonya also mentioned intentionally distracting my husband from ... from paying ... attention to me and of 'adding to his medicine' at various times."

Quietly the Sheriff asked, "What would you have of me?"

"I know that ... that you will ... you will have to share this information with your brothers but ... but could you ... will you ... please ... see that it goes no further? This is painful enough ... it ... it reminds me of the humiliation ... and I've had quite a bit of trouble controlling ... my ... my anger and I ... when I left Harper I told myself I was leaving those feelings behind as well. I do not wish to ... to feel like everyone is laughing at me again. I don't know if I can do my duty if all ... all I can think of is what other people know of me that should be private."

With more compassion than I expected the Sheriff said, "My brothers and I are many things but gossips is not one of them. Nor are we blackmailers, extortionists, or anything else of that nature."

"I did not mean ..."

"I know you did not but I just want to assure you that that is how we would view someone that broke that kind of trust with a person ... regardless of their status. It would be a very terrible abuse of our honor and our own status."


	40. Chapter 39

We were both silent and then trying to bridge the discomfort that had formed I asked, "You said you had made some headway in your own search."

He was quiet so long I thought he would not answer when he said, "You've a fine nose for a mystery Widow. Did you know the reason we never heard back from the missing teacher's family is because they never existed?"

"What?"

"Indeed. Nor did any of his credentials prove to be true except for his last posting immediately before coming here."

"And does this mean anything? Besides the obvious that is of someone not doing their job of checking references."

"It could mean many things but most probably means that we had a spy in our midst. To what purpose I do not know and have yet to determine. But it is someone with enough money to make up very good but fake credentials ... as good if not better than the ones carried by the man who brought the plague."

"Are they connected?"

"That is still in the unknown category. I do know that James has a contact from university that specializes in that kind of espionage and has contacted him for his opinion. With that aside I also had word from Turner Waverly."

The unexpectedness of it was jarring and I am afraid I was rather short with him. "What on earth does he want?"

"Easy Widow. He was actually informing me that they had captured one of the footpads suspected of attacking me the night of the Waverly event. The man had been put in holding and was awaiting the questioner when he took his own life."

Astonished I asked, "Forgive me if this is an odd question but would an ordinary footpad do such a thing?"

"Possibly, if he had committed a murder at some point and expected to see the hangman's noose for it. But no such accusation had been made of that nature. I think it more due to the fact that a contingent from the Mayor's Council was there making sure that the transition between Turner and his father went smoothly and they had a professional questioner with them that offered his services."

I was silent for a moment. The questioners of the Mayor's Council could be ... thorough in their methods. Some were also rumored to resort to hallucinogens and medicaments to speed their inquisitions. "Did they find out anything else?"

"Only that he was traveling with at least two others that got away during the chase."

"I'm sorry that you did not get the answers you desired."

"Actually Widow, I did."

"You did? I'm not sure I ..." I stopped confused by his answer. "Will you explain please?"

The Sheriff nodded. "The man's belongings were searched then the contents were sent to me." He took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. It at first appeared to be a coin until I realized what was stamped upon it.

I quickly handed the filthy thing back. "The Darkfriars crest."

"Yes, and this time unmelded with any other family crest. This one," he said flipping it over in his hand before returning it to his pocket. "This one I believe is a token of fealty or membership to a group at least claiming to be connected with the Darkfriars."

"You don't believe in them do you," I said.

"It is not that I don't believe in them per se so much as the problems recorded in the documents that I got access to make it seem impossible that the group we have today is connected to the original Darkfriars. I do however suspicion that someone is utilizing the old legend as a way to generate fear. The reason that they are supposed to have died out is because of their begatting being compromised due to the contaminations of the Days of Destruction."

I nodded. "Yes, but what if they chose some other method of ... let us call it inheritance?"

The Sheriff growled. "Why do I have a feeling I will be leaving here with a headache?"

"You'll like me even less when I say I suspect that Ceena, Tonya, and additionally Mrs. Kinsey, your father's valet, and perhaps some others, are directly connected to the Darkfriars."

"You are intent on giving me ulcers aren't you," he said with a heavy sigh.


	41. Chapter 40

I have felt terrible for days now for unloading all of my findings upon the Sheriff. From what I hear he has been closeted for long hours at a time with the Chancellor. I believe The Linder joins them but only secretly as to not create too much conjecture as to what the three men are meeting about.

What I found amounts to this, Ceena and Tonya - and their siblings - are descended from a violent family group that emigrated from the Borderlands into western Tentuckia. The histories that I've been able to find claim their reasons were to purify themselves of the contaminated begatting they experienced following the Days of Destruction. But I question this because regularly they intermarried with individuals that came from the very lands they claim they had sought to escape. It would not be obvious for the casual observer of history, but with the help of Ceena's genealogies combined with esoteric historical texts I found cross referenced in the Linder Museum, the pattern becomes almost impossible to ignore. Some surnames changed as generations progressed but usually not so much as I could not find them again with a little diligence such as cross checking tax rolls and census records.

I wish that Nat were here ... and yet I am glad he is not. I could use his expertise in ancient documents but it would entail explaining things to him that I would rather avoid. He already regrets not doing more to stop my marriage but he thinks more because of my age. I have never shared with him most of the darker aspects of my original sojourn at Linderhall. He would find it devastating and heap undeserved guilt upon his own head. But the last thing Nat should feel is guilt. He has watched over me and guided me for what feels like so long and has instilled in me a core of security that nothing can shake.

Which is a good thing because now perhaps I have a discovered a clue as to the origin of the deep seated hatred directed at me by Ceena and Tonya. If I am translating the correspondence in my husband's old files correctly, it was hinted at that any progeny of Ceena and Tonya would be favored above any of my husband's other wives' children ... unless they were proven unable to bare uncontaminated children. The only thing standing in the way of that would have been the Old Laws designating lines of inheritance. It is my hypothesis that - at least in part - that was the reason for what I suspect were the poisonings of so many of my husband's wives and children. The murder of the wife whom I replaced was either accidental or, sadly what seems more likely, is that she had begun to suspect that they were inhibiting her ability to conceive.

That is one of the things that I found so humiliating in Tonya's journal. I believe it was their intent to do the same with me; however they reckoned without my training in herbalism and my insistence on fending for myself rather than being waited upon by the staff. I also did not regularly - or willingly - seek out Ceena and Tonya's company and most of my meals were eaten privately in my own quarters, cooked by my own hand, or with Mizz Marta in hers and out of their reach to create mischief upon.

My husband's journal of that year has been denied to me despite my application to the Chancellor to read it. I tried to not be offended by the denial of what should have been the right of a widow but it was not until a brief meeting with The Linder that I was able to put my feelings aside.

"My dear Widow. I know this is not traditional. And I know that it is unjust. But please, take my word for it, that is not a volume that you wish to read."

"Guardian I have no illusion left where my husband is concerned and my only reason for requesting access is to examine it for clues that might help all of us unravel this mystery so that it can be put behind us as constructively and as quickly as possible. If there are regional secrets contained ..."

"No. If that was all I could redact them from the journal though thank you for giving me a more legitimate excuse for my actions," he said with a sardonic lift of his brow.

Stiffly I said, "Whether you are acting as The Linder or the Guardian, you do not need to legitimatize your edicts to me."

"Perhaps not," he sighed. "But I have found being honest with people is a much better route than tyranny or subterfuge. When I say that it is a volume that you do not wish to read I do not say that lightly. Daren has informed me that you are admirably capable of separating emotionalism from facts in order to come to a constructive conclusion. I honestly admire that and wish more were able to do so. But the truth of the matter is your husband's journal is filled with ..." He stopped and wouldn't meet my gaze.

"I assume the Sheriff has spoken with you of my findings."

"Yes."

"Is ... was my husband complicit in the ... misadventures of his wives and children?"

"You are ... extraordinarily perceptive for your age."

"That is not an answer."

The Linder sighed. "I will be as honest as I am able at the moment."

"I do not need prevarications."

"And I will give you none but ... this is a terribly tangled web and it must be untangled gently or risk exposing certain families to censure that they may no longer deserve ... and I'm not certain they even knew what was going on to begin with."

"You suspect the involvement of the Vanburens as well?"

"As I said ... perceptive."

"Then let us return to my original question. Was my husband complicit? Did he know or take a direct hand in it?"

"Direct hand? No. However I believe at some point he began to suspect ... but he put it at the feet of the anarchists. Much the same way my own father automatically seemed to choose them as the enemy."

"Could it be possible that too is part of the plan? A ... a misdirection if you will?"

He looked at me but didn't answer so I knew that subject was off limits.

"Did he never suspect anyone in his own household?"

"Towards the end, yes."

"Did ... did he ... did he think it was me?"

"No. No my dear, exactly the opposite. And it is that part that I do not feel you need to read about." At my confusion he opened his mouth and then closed it in regret. "Widow, I do not care for the idea much less the reality of child brides. I certainly do not care for the idea that my own kinsman would participate in the practice. I like even less that he would intentionally maneuver people so that a specific child bride was chosen for his purposes."

I blinked in shock. Swallowed. But kept my thoughts to review later. "He ... he in no way acted like he was even ... even ..." I ended breathlessly and was forced to stop and catch my runaway thoughts. "If that was indeed his strategy he must not have enjoyed the results of success."

"Actually I believe the problem lay in timing. His addiction altered his perception and made him feel younger than he actually was. It gave him a feeling of physical prowess that he did not deserve. And it made him feel he had more time than he actually did. He stated that he also had to be careful because of the existing treaties ... I believe that to be a reference to Ceena and Tonya's families so perhaps he was unconsciously aware of the danger they represented. They're families are still very powerful and could cause a considerable amount of problems should they turn against us. And then ..."

"Then?"

"He began to distrust them. It was after ... after the night they struck you."

Trying not to lose focus for I hate the memories with a passion I said, "So he suspected but did nothing?"

"He suspected that they were involved with the anarchists not that they were ... devotees of the Darkfriars." Looking troubled he added, "I will end on this one last note Widow. My father's cousin was an ill man ... but he was sorry for that night ... that last night he spent with you. He remembered bits and pieces of it and ... and described it, castigating himself for losing control. And he had plans to make it up to you."

I did not respond. Could not.

"Do you ... suspect ... whether my sister wives had anything to do with his death?"

Obviously relieved to drop the other subject he said, "On the contrary, it appears through intercepted correspondence that Ceena and Tonya were quite concerned and then panicked as his illness did not abate. It was they who insisted on sending for the best doctors in the region even going so far as to do it against your husband's explicit instructions."

I nodded slowly, "Which means that they had designs on what is now your position for reasons other than simply inheritance."

Back on more solid footing The Linder dismissed me with the thought, "Widow, issues of inheritance are never simple."


	42. Chapter 41

My interview with The Linder troubled me so that I completely forgot my intent to go to the market on Veneris until mid-day. I was prepared to make a late run on Nanny when Mrs. Talbot stopped me and said, "If it is the market you're wanting why not wait until the morrow? It will be a barter market and there'll be twice as many booths and stores set up as there normally are."

"Really? I missed the barter markets every time they came around when ... before ..."

Understanding that I meant the first time I had lived at Linderhall Mrs. Talbot gave me an understanding smile and said, "Yes ma'am. It's also a day that those of us that do the shopping for the hall will be going."

So it was agreed that I would accompany them but I think more for their peace of mind than my own. It is puzzling how they had less problems when I was fourteen and running errands upon Nanny from one boundary to the other and yet now that I'm a widow, more respectable and some older, they do. Perhaps they have forgotten how self-sufficient I can be. Or perhaps they are simply trying to make up for what they were unable to give me before. Either way it is pointless. I am not Mrs. Linder but Widow Linder and one day I will leave this place and need to be prepared to do things for myself without someone's protection.

Upon completion of the rest of the day's work I decided to return to the Dower House to take one last look at my lists to determine what it is that I needed so that I would waste as little time and funds at the market as possible.

I had informed Mrs. Cooksey that I would not need a tray and I saw a guilty glint of relief in her eye which told me I had chosen rightly. The Linders had evening guests that were staying until after the Sabbath. Amongst their number were three men from the Mayor's Council, including Dr. Cummins' father in law and the brother Gerald Linder whom I had not met. From the Great Council came Benjamin Corvot, husband of the sister Chell and a man called Ferdnan Tice whom I knew to be well connected and very influential. Mrs. Linder would entertain the ladies that included Chell Linder Corvot and the other wives. My understanding from gleaning information from the new staff is that the women were all a close knit group and I determined not to interfere or insert myself in their number. Not doing so was actually a relief that I guarded others from knowing.

I still worried a bit about certain staff creating problems but apparently when the Sheriff makes up his mind on a thing he does it with aclarity. Mrs. Kinsey has been shipped off. Not permanently and not far but the assignment appears to affectively control any mischief she might seek to make. She has been assigned to the barracks under the direct supervision of a woman known widely as "The Dragon."

I'd only met Mrs. Dargen a handful of times during my first installment at Linderhall and each time she'd scared me worse than being alone and axe-less in the middle of a hungry forest cat frenzy. Marta considered her a friend but admitted that she was not an easy woman and had definite ideas on the way things were to operate. I'd steered clear of her and intended to continue to do so as I know she hadn't approved of me ... or should I say had not approved of my marriage and I just happen to be part of it. Marta told me not to take it personally but as an impressionable fourteen year old that was asking the impossible.

The late afternoon was coming on pleasant after a roastingly warm day. In my walk to the Dower House I saw several staff taking advantage of the breeze to complete the last of the day's work out of doors. I waived but did not linger to talk. I had my own work to attend to and did not want to hinder anyone else either. I had nearly put foot upon the first of the pavers when I heard pitiful crying in the hedge row.

I stepped over and heard, "Come along Rosie. Nurse is going to be cranky if she founds out we're gone."

"But I saw him come this way. I know I did."

"You can't have. We've looked and Daren isn't here and you know we aren't allowed to go near the stable. The horses scare you."

"But he said he'd come see us and that was hours ago."

I was about to step into their line of sight when I saw a woman come out of the hedges on the opposite side of the path and bare down on the two young girls with anger. "There you two useless spares are. Going and making more work for me. They should sell you to someone that can get some use from you."

The young girl called Rosie tried to back away but fell backwards over a stone bench placed beside the path. The younger girl stepped in front of her and said to the woman, "Don't talk to us that way. I'll tell ..."

SMACK!

I was not two seconds stepping onto the path and leveling a woodsman's right clean against the woman's chin sending her tip over tail.

"Why you slut. Who do you think you are?" she snarled.

In a voice I don't ever remember using before I said, "I am the Widow Linder and I am going to make your life a living hell. How dare you touch these two girls!"

The immediate fear on the woman's face told me she'd thought I was just another staff. I reached down to take her arm ... and think it was just to pull her up but the mood I was in it is just as likely it was to pull the arm off ... but was thwarted when two hands placed themselves on my shoulders and a cold voice said, "Take THAT to the cells."

I turned to see the Sheriff and his eyes were like black chips of volcanic glass. Several other men stood there as well including The Linder, the Chancellor, and a couple I did not recognize. Too angry to be polite I held my head high and pulled myself from the Sheriff. I turned to the girls and picked the small one up and took the hand of the other and pulled them towards the Dower House kitchen door.

"Pull the latch please. She is getting heavy."

The older of the two just looked at me, then at the door before connecting my instructions with the metal lever. We walked into the kitchen and I sat the younger on the counter and fumbled for a candle when the gas lamps came on. I looked and the older girl had turned them on.

"Thank you. Is your mother about? She's going to be extremely upset and I don't want her to have to wait to hear word that you are safe."

The older said, "Mother's dead."

That is when the obvious clicked. "Oh dear," I muttered. I dampened a soft cloth with cool water from the tap and laid it against the hand print that was already creating a bruise on the younger girl's face. "Would you two young ladies happened to be named Rosalee and Liesel?"

"Are we in trouble? It's my fault," the older of the two said in a voice resigned to punishment that I did not like.

The younger girl got a ferocious look on her face and said, "Is not. Rosie isn't bad. Nurse is bad."

Quickly putting a period to their worry I said, "I should say so. Even if you had aggravated her quite vigorously there is absolutely no excuse for the type of behavior that she exhibited. At most she should have corrected you and perhaps restricted a privilege. What you did was not deserving of corporal punishment and I'll have quite something to say if someone tries to tell me otherwise."

The older girl came and stood so close to me I nearly couldn't minister to her sister. "Heavens Rosalee, I'm going to wind up squashing you and feeling very bad about it. How about you hop on the counter as well so I can finish with Liesel here. And take this cloth and wipe your face ... particularly that nose. You've given yourself quite a red one that is in serious need of a bath."

From the door I heard boys' voices.

"Hah ... told you."

"No, I told you. Knew the Widow would have 'em."

I called, "Jode, Jude ... no bickering if you please. My nerves do not appreciate it at the moment. Is your mother available?"

"No ma'am," one of them said sorrowfully. "She's helping Mrs. Cooksey." But then he looked over then looked back at me and said more brightly, "But Joel's wife is pretty good with the littles and she's just coming down the path."

"Very good. Fetch her please."

A young woman of about twenty walked through the kitchen door. I looked at the two girls and said, "This is Tiffen Talbot. She is excellent at telling stories. She knows a wonderful one about a princess and a pea and if you will sit here at the table with her I might be persuaded to ask her to kindly share it with you."

It was easier than I expected as the girls were fascinated by the unusual number of braids that Tiffen kept her hair in, a custom that was a relic from being raised by her grandmother who had been a pirate slave down in the Southerlands before being rescued by the man who eventually became her husband. Joel had met her at a meeting the Autumn before my marriage and declared he'd have no other even if she didn't have a dower. Tiffen for her part proved to be a welcome daughter to Mrs. Talbot.

I left the young girls in Tiffen's capable hands and stationed Jode and Jude by the kitchen doors then did my best not to act like a bear with a sore head as I stomped over to where the men were still congregated and muttering.


	43. Chapter 42

"Sheriff?" He turned at my voice. "I do not wish to interrupt but if you wish to know how your sisters fair ..."

The Linder caught my words and snapped his head around and answered for him. "John is on his way. Does Rosalee need tending sooner than that?"

"Rosalee was not the one that was slapped. It was Liesel."

"Yes and he'll tend her but Rosalee's nerves ..."

"Are perfectly fine so please do not overset them by making a huge fuss. She cried more before the incident than she has since. And Liesel has not cried at all though she wanted to. She was very brave and should be commended."

"Rosalee is not crying?" the Chancellor asked in surprise.

"No," I replied barely refraining from snapping.

"Widow," the Sheriff said. "Would you care to give me your statement? We shall walk around the other side of the house to allow these gentleman to continue their discussion."

It was not a request but it didn't affront me either as I saw him trying to give me privacy to have my say.

Quietly he told me as we walked away, "I'm afraid you'll have to hold onto your anger if you wish to throw something. John's father in law is over there and he's not happy to have found two women fighting."

I snorted. "What he found was me all but ready to knock the stuffing out of that hateful woman and he can just deal with it. How dare she strike that child!"

With unexpected concern the Sheriff said, "You're shaking. Are you certain you shouldn't see John as well?"

"What? Haven't you ever seen someone with a case of the nerves and nothing that can be done to exercise them?"

He arched a brow. "Is that what this is?"

"Aye. I swear ..." I stopped and forced my breathing into a calm pattern. "I just wanted you to know that the girls were out here looking for you. The older one said you had promised to come see them. Liesel was trying to convince Rosalee to return to the hall when that woman rounded on them. None of them knew I was observing and when ..." I stopped once again, fighting my temper. "When she slapped Liesel I lost it. You may have saved the woman a real trouncing. I haven't ever been that angry ... not even when ... when ..." I stopped and shook my head.

Thankfully it did not appear that I needed to explain what I meant to the Sheriff for he said, "Damnation. As for the promise I did make it but got hung up playing lackey to Tomas. I did send word that I would be up later but apparently it was not delivered in time to prevent them from wandering off looking for me." I looked up to find him chagrined and irritated at the same time.

"They're fine and had it been explained to them appropriately I am sure that they would have waited on your appearance. Or at least Liesel would have. Rosalee may need more supervision. You did say she has not completely been herself since the plague."

"No. She hasn't. And some of your suspicious nature is beginning to rub off on me. I will speak with Tomas to make sure they get a Nurse that is more thoroughly vetted."

"Might I suggest a tutor rather than a nurse? Rosalee is just a year off from what I was when I was given in marriage and ..."

"Dear God ..."

"What?" I asked perplexed at the sudden look of shock on the Sheriff's face.

"I ... it just ..."

From behind us a voice said, "I believe what Daren is trying to say is that the truth of the issue of child brides has just slapped him in the face in a very personal way."

I turned to find April Linder looking at her brother like he was a cross between someone not quite bright enough to be allowed out on his own and a beloved little brother.

I sighed. "Hmmm. Do you think he will remember to breathe soon or will he turn blue and need Dr. Cummins' assistance?"

"Damnation. Don't the two of you start giving the other girls lessons. It was hard enough with one of you, anymore and I'm not sure I could take it," the Sheriff snapped half-heartedly.

I told him, "If it is an issue of sanity I think we've already covered that numerous times and you've admitted you run shy of a full supply on a regular basis."

The Sheriff mock growled and April Linder grinned broadly and said to me, "You'll do. You'll definitely do. Now if you'll take me to the girls perhaps we can discuss this idea of a tutor more in-depth. Nancee has mentioned the same thing recently and I'd like to hear your reasonings before I approach Tomas with it." At my questioning look she explained, "I'm the girls' primary guardian with Tomas and Gerald acting as guides for propriety's sake."

The Sheriff nodded and said, "I'll leave it in your hands April. I've got to figure this out and do it in such a way that old Fuss and Feathers doesn't get his feelings in a hitch."

I looked at him and then came to a decision and nodded. I startled both April and the Sheriff when I marched back over to the other men but didn't let it stop me.

"Gentlemen, please allow me to offer my apologies for my behavior. My actions were pure reaction rather than thoughtful as they should have been. I must admit I had not expected to feel so ... so ... " I shook my head. "I have no children of my own and have never ..." I stopped and sighed. "I saw a child abused. I reacted. I make no excuses. However I do apologize for shocking you."

An older man harrumphed but then unexpectedly unbent. "My daughter has already spoken of your care for her feelings during her husband's recent injuries. From what I've heard I grant you have a protective nature. Just take care as we would not want to see such a generous nature endangered."

The Linder looked over at me and said, "Your graciousness is noted Widow."

I sighed. "Graciousness has nothing to do with it Guardian. The purpose of my status is not to cause problems. Though I may have stepped in to stop a danger, the way that I did it has the potential to cause other issues. Therefore it is my duty to alleviate that potential by whatever means necessary. I certainly do not wish to create any problems for Mrs. Linder and particularly not in her condition. Since I have just been told that Miss Linder has the care of the girls, perhaps it would be wise to ... to mitigate the circumstances of the recent contretemps so that Mrs. Linder will not expend energy where none need be expended by her. I leave that decision up to you and Dr. Cummins however. Now if you will kindly excuse me I need to introduce Miss Linder to the woman that is currently caring for the girls."

The men nodded and I turned and passed the Sheriff who seemed to want to say something but did not in my presence. I asked April Linder if she would follow me and once we turned the corner of the house she said, "That was a pretty apology."

I shrugged. "It needed saying."

"Did it?"

I looked at her and said, "Yes. I spoke truthfully."

"Well had it been me old Fuss and Feathers could have sucked wind. Daren had best deal with that hag post haste or he may find I go behind his back and order her to the quarries." Hearing pure honesty in her voice I began to understand perhaps a little why her brothers step lightly around her.

We spoke briefly about the tutor idea but soon enough we came to the kitchen to find Tiffen had the girls laughing at some silly word game. I recognized it as one designed to teach children the names and purposes of herbs. Tiffen stood as soon as she saw April Linder but April was quite different once out of company of the men, including her brothers.

She nodded kindly to Tiffen and to the girls she said, "Excellent. I used to play that game with your mother. Did you know?"

Rosalee asked, "Did you really?"

"Yes. Really. But right now I think we should return to the house. Supper will be served shortly and if you manage to eat it all - including the salad Liesel," she said giving the younger girl a maternal eye. "Then I believe there may be a bowl of custard with berries awaiting you both before bed. Now tell Mrs. Talbot and Widow Linder thank you and let us return to the hall. Alright?"

As the girls said their good byes April whispered, "I'll catch up with John as I know which path he'll likely take. He can get a good look at the girls without having to play doctor. But do me a favor?" At my nod she said, "Until we decide on a tutor or not - and thank you for your piece as it has given me something to think about - see if there is someone you trust to look after the girls a bit. Please?"

I nodded again and then waived as the girls followed her down a path designed to go around where the men would still be discussing things. I turned to Tiffen and smiled. "Thank you so much. How are things at your home?"

We spoke briefly then I asked, "Do you think your mother in law would have a good recommendation for a temporary ... well ... companion I suppose you would call it for the girls? I could ask Mizz Marta but I don't know that she is really up to all of that interviewing just yet. I hate to see them with another nursemaid as they're both old enough that they should be beyond that stage even if Rosalee does have a few limitations."

Tiffen told me, "Miss Rosalee doesn't have any limitations. What she's got, if you don't mind me being blunt and Joel says you prefer it, is people telling her she'll never be what she was before. Just now here she wasn't wanting to play the game 'cause she claimed she'd lost it all but once she got started she started remembering lots she thought she'd forgotten. Right proud of herself and little Miss Liesel sure seemed happy to see her sister playing along."

"Well that's good to know."

"And again being so bold, if Joel's mother gives me leave I'd like to look after the girls. She's said she wants me out of the fields so I can build up my strength so that Joel and I can catch again."

"A ... again?"

She looked sorrowful and then determined. "I lost twins during the plague. It was the loss more than the plague that almost took me off and Joel has been too careful of me. Mother T and I figure that he won't stop it until he sees that I'm all healed and that won't happen if we're both tired from harvesting. It'll mean less coming in from the harvest money but if I can make it up being the girls' companion for a bit ..."

I smiled. "And they already know you and you've got enough commonsense that Miss Linder will like you as well. Let me speak with her and see what can be worked out."

"Thank you Widow," she said with a grin before leaving.


	44. Chapter 43

It had been an unpleasant experience and I still felt unreasonably agitated. The upset in my stomach was too much a reminder of what I had felt on a regular basis my first tenure at Linderhall, and then as now I sought a way to manage the unhealthy energy I felt. I thought to myself, "I'll focus on my own work that I keep putting aside." I turned off the gas lamps and shut the bottom of the half door. This allowed natural light and breeze to enter the kitchen without the unnecessary heating of the room. I turned to pick up my folio of notes when I heard a scuff on the kitchen path. Holding my patience with both hands I turned and tried to present a pleasant face until I saw who it was.

"You know Widow, I'm beginning to get a complex."

I told the Sheriff, "You should. Your timing lacks something to be desired." Sighing I asked him, "Now what have I done? Was the apology not good enough to mend things and move them along?"

"So you didn't mean what you said?"

"I always mean what I say. The purpose of my status is to solve problems not create them."

He grinned sardonically knowing exactly what I meant which was that I was sorry my temper had been witnessed, not for doing what I did. "Actually you timed it well. Old Fuss and Feathers is actually saying that you were admirably penitent and reminded him strongly of his hunting dog when she bit after he'd come too close to her new puppies. You don't slap a good dog for exercising her maternal instincts."

"Well ... I'm just breathless after that piece of flattery."

And I was too. Not even the little boys in Harper would have had the temerity to compare a human female to a hunting dog. The Sheriff laughed. "I thought you would appreciate it. Now invite me in, keep your door open if you must, but I wish to hear the whole of things from beginning to end again if you please."

So I told him once again what had occurred, filling in the few details he asked for but then was struck by a thought. "Sheriff what did the woman mean by calling the girls 'useless spares'? It is a puzzle I cannot find the beginning of to unravel."

The Sheriff leaned back thoughtfully and stretched his legs under the table startling me with how close our knees were. "I don't suppose you would know it. It is an old phrase concerning inheritance."

"You mean like an heir and a spare?"

Only mildly surprised he said, "So you have heard of it."

"Yes. History is chock full of such stories but why would the girls be called 'spares' as they are so far down the chain of inheritance? First would be The Linder and then ... then your brother Gerald correct?"

The Sheriff nodded. "On Father's side yes, but only because Melissa and Marjorie signed over their inheritance status to marry into the families of their choosing. Father gave them the choice and when they chose their husbands he settled their portion on them as their dower. Had they stayed unmarried then one or both of them could have inherited Father's holdings but they weren't interested. Tomas then became the direct heir and Gerald the spare though now his own wife is with child the holdings will go down his line."

Still confused I mumbled, "But ..."

Explaining the Sheriff said, "The hag was referring to Dwen's estate. Rickerson is the heir of Dwen's estate from her second marriage which abuts Gerald's lands - there were no children from that match and none left in the man's family to inherit - and then Nance is the spare though she has her own inheritance from Father and from Dwen that will allow her to choose whether she wishes to marry or not."

"Making Rosalee and Liesel extra spares as it were."

"Precisely. But it is curious that this issue of inheritance keeps getting raised."

"Inheritance is a serious issue as your brother reminded me earlier today. And one you will find forever fascinating to some people of certain status. Certainly my conversation with The Linder agreed with my memories of those on the Mayors' Council and the Great Council as well, the few I met."

"You spoke to Tomas today?"

"This morning."

"May I ask about what?"

He sounded odd but when I looked at him he looked completely normal. "I wanted to read my husband's journal to see if I could find any additional clues."

"Oh."

"Your tone says you knew he would deny my request."

Carefully the Sheriff stated, "The contents ... to put it bluntly Leeda was worse than that journal of Widow Tonya's. No need to torment yourself with it."

I decided to let it go as this generation of Linder men seemed intent on thwarting me and I wasn't ready to puzzle out whether it really was to protect me or not.

I shrugged and then noticing the time told him, "You will be late for supper." At the mulish look on his face I told him, "You cannot use me as an excuse you know."

"I do not see why you get to get out of attending yet I must go. All it is going to be from start to finish is damnable politicking."

"Do not sound petulant Sheriff. If I can sit through a cocktail hour with Mrs. Vanburen and her daughter grilling me and staring at me like I was a bug they were contemplating squishing then you can go smoke cigars or whatever it is you men do during one of those dinners."

"No cigars. They cause Chell to puke. She's carrying again ... number four if you're counting. The others are all boys and she's praying for a girl."

"Mrs. Linder will have someone to speak with then concerning her condition."

"Or puke with," he said with a slightly mischievous grin. "Maybe I'll ..."

Noting his look was perilously close to what I had seen on young boys right before a prank I told him, "You must have spent a great deal of time in the woodshed."

He laughed and replied, "My fair share certainly." The he sighed. "I suppose I must be off. You could accompany me. I'm sure none of the ladies would think it exceptional."

I shuddered and tried to hide it by saying, "I have too much work to do before the Barter Market tomorrow."

"Oh, you are going?"

"Yes and please get that look out of your eyes. I will be duly chaperoned by Mrs. Talbot and several others though why on earth ..."

"Because, and leave it at that. And don't fight your traces and wander off alone either. The last couple of markets we've seen some Borderland types moving in. I'm not happy they're congregating in this area though now that we have the history of Ceena and Tonya's antecedents I can see why they'd be interested in the outcome of the succession. The Guards make their presence known but it hasn't stopped some incidences unfortunately."

"I hadn't heard but it does not change my intent to attend the market. I will however refrain from wandering off on my own."

"There's a good girl ... er ... Widow ... er ... I mean ..."

With some perception I looked at him and said, "Either you have indigestion or you are still upset by what I said earlier with regard to Rosalee's age."

He stood and sighed. "Both. I'm not looking forward to this damn function I've been commanded to attend and ... and yes, it shocked me to compare your circumstances to one of my sisters. Damnation."

For some reason I felt compelled to put my hand on his arm. "My past is MY past Sheriff. And it is over with. The same will not happen to Rosalee or Liesel. You father's consort made certain of it and your sister April would not allow it either."

"No, she wouldn't ... but that isn't precisely ..."

We both heard the chapel bell chiming the hours. The Sheriff shook his head, made his bow, and then left. He can be so strange at times that I wonder if insanity is less of a joke than I had been making it.


	45. Chapter 44

"How much did you say?!"

"Twernty circlies of silver."

I looked at the man and asked, "For oak galls?!"

I felt a tug on my pocket purse side and looked down in time to hear Liesel ask, "What are oak galls and what are they for?"

"They are growths on oak trees created when the trees defend themselves against a particularly nasty insect called a gall wasp and you use them to make black dye." Not for the first time I thought to myself that something needed to be done and soon about the education that Rosalee and Liesel were receiving. Daughters of a high-status family or not, some of their questions showed a sad lack of understanding of common household necessities.

"And are twernty circlies ..."

Sighing I corrected her. "Twenty circles ... of silver ... and yes, that is expensive. I picked them for free last season when I was living in Harper."

The man harrumphed and said, "Well you bain't in Harper no more. You be in Little Linderton and that's the price I'm asking. And you'll find no better price neither."

"Then you may keep your oak galls. I'll go half mourning as people keep pushing me to before I'll pay such a ridiculous sum for such a paltry item. Come along Liesel before your sister and Mrs. Talbot try and convince me to buy indigo and then get up to all sorts of larks and ideas that I'd rather they did not."

I tightened my hold on my pocket purse with one hand and took Liesel's hand with my other. I had not expected Barter Market to draw such a crowd and certainly not such a crowd with the manners too many were exhibiting. "Bah. I should have stayed at Linderhall. I would have gotten more done."

Someone tried to take the arm that I was holding my purse with and I swung.

"Ow!"

When I saw who it was I nearly stamped my foot. "Serves you right. Must you show up and get underfoot everywhere I go?"

Liesel clapped a hand to her mouth to try and hide her giggles but the Sheriff saw and mock-growled at his little sister. He then rubbed his arm and asked, "What have you got in that thing? A brick?"

"Of course not. It is a mineral sample that was sitting upon the library's mantel."

"Oh ... of course," he muttered in such a tone as to cause Liesel to giggle even more. He bowed in our direction and said, "I have come to see if you two fine ladies wish to dine al fresca in the park."

"I wish that you would stop being silly and get out of the road way before you are run down." Liesel could no longer contain her giggles and started laughing contagiously causing many people to try and hide smiles of their own just from the sound of it.

The Sheriff for his part smiled broadly and said, "Your wish is my command Widow." He proffered his arm leaving me no choice but to take it. I still had hold of my pocket purse and Liesel and felt rather silly myself as we made our way through the mad crowds milling about like cattle in an enclosure too small to support them all.

When we reached the green belt the Sheriff drew us towards a blanketed area and I realized that people had arranged themselves by status. I looked for my basket that I had packed after finding out that Liesel would be in my care for the day and found it parked nearly in the middle on the invisible line delineating the ladies of higher status who were congregated around Mrs. Linder and the Below Stairs women who arranged themselves around Mrs. Talbot and another woman whom I met earlier in the day and was informed to be Chell's travelling companion/midwife.

"Thank you Sheriff. You may ..."

"Enjoy your company? Thank you, I believe I will."

Giving him the same look that Sister Evelyn used to give the young novitiates that hadn't lost their silliness yet I said, "What theatrical are you playing?"

"One that keeps me from having to listen to another lecture on the finer strategies of tie colors and whether they should be matched with or contrasted with the rest of the male ensemble depending upon occasion and company."

I looked at him and could not honestly determine whether he was pulling a prank or not. At that moment April Linder chose to join us and whispered, "Have some pity Widow. If I have to listen to that loose screw brother in law of Chell's any more I'm likely to do something inexcusably extreme."

I looked between the two with suspicion until a shadow blocked my light and the Sheriff groaned quietly. I looked up to see a young man posing and cocked an eyebrow at him before saying, "Yes, yes ... your plumage is admirable but if you do not sit and have something cool to drink your face is going to clash shockingly with the rest of you." I looked over at Dr. Cummins who was caught trying not to strangle on the sip of tea he had just taken. "Doctor, it has been much warmer this year than I remember it. Perchance you can suggest a remedy that will allow the ladies to enjoy the finish of their shopping day without becoming too fatigued?"

"Actually I was just remarking that Mrs. Talbot provided a refreshing blend for just such an event." He tipped his cup in her direction and said, "Excellent madam."

Mrs. Talbot looked wide-eyed at him before blooming into a blush and then quickly said, "Why ... why thank you kindly Doctor. It still doesn't top that fine brew you provided for the men that took bad in the heat yesterday."

My alarm must have shown on my face because Mrs. Talbot said, "It's alright Widow. Frankly it was their own fault. The Doctor set a schedule the men were supposed to follow for hydration but being men they thought they knew best." She rolled her eyes and that started a conversation on the Below Stairs side and allowed the higher-status side to return to their socializing in good form.

I looked over to see Tosha Linder looking as if she'd like to disappear and I asked a question of her. "I hate to be a pest, especially when you are trying to relax and enjoy yourself but I was wondering if you had an opinion yet on that project we spoke of."

She excused herself and came over and sat down with us and quietly said, "Oh thank you. James mentioned that you would be here."

I looked about for the young man but he'd suddenly disappeared. "Goodness. He does seem to move quickly in this heat does he not?"

The Sheriff snorted and said, "If my tail feathers had just been singed in such a manner I would move quickly as well."

"Doubtful," I told him. "I believe yours must be made of iron for they simply won't singe no matter how I try."

April Linder laughed aloud and then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Even Tosha smiled and then we all decided to throw in our baskets together to make a lunch out of it for the girls and ourselves.


	46. Chapter 45

"Well, that was much better than the tea cakes and watered down punch that the others are having in deference to the stomachs of those in a delicate condition."

I nodded agreeing with April Linder's statement but was looking at the Sheriff who had laid down and covered his face with his hat. "Hmmm. Does he snore or is he strangling on that last sandwich he inhaled?"

"Snores," April admitted. "But only when he's badly tired. He's been running himself ragged since Father's passing and is just as in danger of a relapse as everyone else though getting him to believe it is impossible."

I heard the tone of a loving and exasperated older sister and said, "Has Dr. Cummins prescribed anything?"

"Has but Daren refuses to take it ... the donkey's behind. He hates being doctored on."

"Yes, I believe I have run into that trait myself. Does he like garlic?"

"Excuse me?"

"Garlic? Will the Sheriff eat it?"

From under his hate a muffled voice said, "Love the stuff."

"Good. I shall fix you a pot of garlic and greens broth and you shall add it as a first course to your muncheon and supper and I'll have Mrs. Cooksey make sure there is a good garlic marmalade for your breakfast. It may be that the ne'er do wells will smell you coming but by spring we will have you completely over your fatigue ... assuming you do not do something ridiculously heroic and set yourself back."

"No fears Widow. I detest heroics, they usually wind up unnecessarily messy and cause me to have to write excessive pages of reports that Tomas will read and critique."

"Hah! So I was right, in the past you did indulge in such behavior."

He lifted the hat to glare at me. "Enough. I am fatigued and cranky and may just prove myself closer to the dragon than the knight."

I snorted in an unladylike way. "If you are looking for a princess to terrorize you've picked the wrong female. If you try and breathe fire on me I've several recipes for strong extinguishers that will do the trick. Although," I said preventing him from interrupting. "If you eat all the garlic I plan on pushing on you, you may not need fire to put someone in a faint."

April, Tosha, and the girls laughed and the Sheriff sat up. I expected him to go off in a huff but instead he was smiling. "I'll have to stay on my toes with you it seems Widow."

"Oh go join a drama troupe."

That set everyone laughing at me balancing the fun around a bit. Finally Tosha noticed that I didn't have any packages. "Did you find nothing on your list?"

"Found several items but refuse to pay the prices that I've found attached to them. What on earth has happened since I was here last? The markets were so reasonable then."

Mrs. Talbot and some of the other ladies overheard me and nodded. "Aye. We had a lot of out of town merchants come in and undersell the ones that traditionally were here during the market season. The good ones couldn't compete and few of them came back this year and now that they've gone those new merchants have all raised their prices. And with ... er ..."

I nodded. "Yes, but The Linder is seeing to that. And frankly I'd rather do without than ..."

A disturbance had broken out a few yards from our group. Things were accelerating at an alarming speed and the Sheriff ordered, "Get the women and children to the wagons until I can get this frackus under control." Then shots rang out and a panic ensued.


	47. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

April Linder and I put the girls in her gas carriage and I boosted Tosha in. I am no fool, and had no desire to get caught up in the mess and hysterics on all side but I felt compelled to make sure that all of the staff had reached safety. I was counting heads when I was rudely picked up and tossed over someone's shoulder who then began to jog into the crowd.

Even had it been a Linder I would not have tolerated the treatment and certainly was not enjoying the sensation of having the air driven from my lungs by the man's shoulder where it kept slamming into my stomach.

For a moment I was tempted to simply vomit down his back but instead I unsnapped the fang on my wrist and plunged it into the most easily reachable body part of my kidnapper and that was his left buttock.

He screamed and I found myself on the ground and nearly trampled. I scrambled up and away from the howling man only to find that I was too short to see over all of the streaming humanity running this way and that. Another shot and the crowd became truly frenzied.

Holding tight to my fang, unwilling to use it to make a space for myself no matter the temptation, I slowly waded back in the direction I knew the carriages and wagons had been in. Then I heard a scream only this one wasn't human. Some poor deluded soul had made the mistake of messing with the hall's mules. They were bred for war and that had not been a bray but a battle cry.

I saw a lamp post and climbed the first block up to get a better view of what was going on and sure enough the Hall's mules and horses were bucking and twisting and taking down any that came near them. I saw my Nanny kick out and send a man flying a good fifteen feet. I turned and saw just in time a man take aim at the steeds with a rifle. I leapt and my fang made sure it would be a long time, if ever, that he'd hold a rifle again.

I was done being mishish. I used the hilt of the fang when I could to make the crowd move but I wasn't above giving an unfriendly poke if someone turned towards me in violence.

Then I smelled smoke. Something was afire. That only made the hysteria worse. I was knocked to and fro and was eventually pitched upon the sidewalk and saw men and women both running to the water tower. Fire is the demon beast that ruins lives and the Region had been dry. Good for harvesting and drying the grains for storage, bad for nearly everything else.

"Put your back into it men! It's getting out of control!" I heard one man yell.

He was right and I remembered my 8th summer when a fire not much different from this one had threatened Harper. And I remembered what my father and his men had done.

I gave the undulating cry of the woodsmen and shouted. "Bring it down. Grab your axes and bring it down. Flush the fire before it takes the town!"

I ran towards the larger fire tower that stood beside the medium water tower nearest the blaze. I hitched my skirt ran up the stairs and grabbed an axe and ran back down and started attacking the leg of the tower closest to the flames. I was soon joined by many others. The boy across from me and I set a healthy rhythm and though the leg was good and thick we soon had it whittled and then there was a crack.

A large, beefy man shouted, "Timber!" and then with a mighty swing took a support out and the tower began to tip.

It was just like in my memories. The tower tilted and water sloshed over the top and then more and more as the tower tipped further and further and then the weight of the water brought the tower down in a crash that shattered the tank and a tidal wave rushed at the fire and ate it up. People ran in behind the water with shovels and other tools and started putting out the small blazes that remained.

"Ye've messed up yer fine dress Ma'am."

I turned to look and the boy was pointing to a rip in the over skirt that when clear to my petticoat.

"Botheration," I muttered. "So I have. At least it was on a seam and should mend easily enough."

"Me Da's waving us over Ma'am if you'd please come."

I turned to see an older man dressed in Woodsmen gear and allowed the boy to lead me over. The man crossed his arms and asked, "Now where the blazes did a lady learn to wield an axe like that?"

I couldn't help it. I laughed. "At my father's, brothers', and cousins' behest. And I do believe I now recognize you though it has been a few years. You are Mr. Karl George, the Head Woodsman of Elizabethtown. You were at my family's memorial. My cousin Nat pointed you out when you blew the Hunting Horn."

He looked down at me and then drew back. "By the martyrs ... you're a Harper."

"Aye Sir though now I go by Leeda Harper Linder ... or simply the Widow if you'd prefer. And I must congratulate you Sir. Your son is a superb axeman. His timing was impeccable."

The boy turned the color of ripe strawberries and bunched up his hat before making his escape. Mr. George looked at me and smiled. "Now ye've done it. I'll likely not get anything of sense out of him for hours."

Stomping on the sidewalk boards and a growl had me sighing as I turned. I put up my hand to stop what was likely to be a lengthy sermon and said, "I promise that I will stand still for the lecture you are no doubt dying to give me if you will but hold it a while and allow me to introduce you to this worthy gentleman. He blew the Horn at my family's memorial and helped lead the saving of Little Linderton. And I am sure that there are other men here that would like to meet the Sheriff of Tentuckia as well."

"Fine," he said in a fractious tone. "But I'm holding you to your word that you will stand still for the lecture. I've absolutely no patience for chasing you down to light into you in the way you fully deserve. Running this way and that ..."

"I was not running. I assure you it wasn't a lark I was on. I had no more desire to get tossed about than anyone else. But when one is summarily tossed over a shoulder it is not like I had a lot of say in the matter."

"What?!"

"Lecture comes later. Introductions come first," I reminded him. "Besides, you did return my fang you know. If you are so exercised that you need to manhandle the miscreant simply look for a man dressed in smelly hides that has a hole in his left buttock."

The woodsmen all around laughed like it was the funniest joke they'd heard all day. The Sheriff was less amused. He looked at a couple of Guardsmen and they quickly hustled off, presumably to find the culprit that I had described. After all, how many men in hides with a knife wound in their left buttock could there be?


	48. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

It wound up that I knew many of the names and families represented by the Woodsmen in the crowd around the Sheriff and I and they knew me ... or not me precisely but my family and my general disposition as Widow Linder.

"Mr. George, may I ask you what has brought so many Woodsmen to Little Linderton at this time of year? Hunting season is soon to begin in earnest is it not?"

"Taxes," the man spat.

"Taxes?"

"Aye. The Collectors be telling our Guild they only want metals and not meat."

Unwilling to step into such a discussion any further I was saved from having to say anything at all as The Linder himself strolled up. To say that we were all slightly stunned by his appearance was putting it mildly.

"Honestly," I exclaimed in shock which loosened my tongue even more than it usually was. "I thought it was only the Nealy side of your clan that exhibited wonton lack of sense." He turned with a raised eyebrow like no one had spoken to him like that in far too long if ever. "Just look at you. What is Mrs. Linder going to say? Soot from one end to the other. Caked in mud to your knees. Cuts and scrapes showing through your gloves. You look decidedly un-Linderish you know."

"I may be The Linder but I am also The Guardian of Tentukia Widow. I will not be molly coddled and told to sit in the carriage like some geriatric old fool unable to do his duty."

Understanding dawned. "Ah ... been mashed about have you and told what you could and couldn't do. That explains it. Tell a man he isn't allowed to do something and likely that is the first thing he will try and do. Or so I learned watching my brothers act in such a way. But if it was for your duty then you appear to have done it heartily and with much gusto. However if I might suggest, for Mrs. Linder's sake you might wish to ... er ... hide the burned bits and have your barber snip the singed bits before presenting yourself."

"What?" His hand went to his hair and then he said chagrined. "Ah. Perhaps you are correct. Would you be so good as to ... hmmm ... cover for me by letting the ladies fuss over you for a bit?"

"Botheration Sir, you ask a great deal."

He grinned. "If you don't owe me you certainly owe Daren here. He nearly turned inside out when he found you'd never made it to the carriages."

It wasn't really a request but at least he made the order a polite one and gave me a Guard as escort. And sure enough as I predicted the fussing was entirely uncomfortable. After everyone had calmed down April pulled me aside. "Still feel up to getting some shopping done? The stalls on the other end are still in full swing."

Close to exasperation I declared, "Anything to get me out from under all these eyes and this clucking."

Many of the Linder party decided to remove to Linderhall, including the girls whom April had sent home with Tiffen, but April and the Below Stairs ladies were made of stronger stuffing and we returned to our business with lists in hand.

I noted the stalls that were closed and when I mentioned it to Mrs. Talbot she sniffed. "Them. It was some of them Borderland bucks that started this mess. I know some good Tentuckian merchants that will give us a good price for what we've come for. Should have visited them first to begin with."

-

It was with aching feet and a much lighter purse that I returned to Nanny. She was happy to see me and accepted her carrot as was her due and stepped lively when I threw my market bags over the saddle and started loading them with my purchases.

I did get some oak galls but only because Mrs. Talbot said that it was already on the household list. The wax merchant was the sister in law of one of the head gardeners and gave me a good deal on a supply of scented candles to help drive out the stale air that unfortunately still remained in the upstairs privies. I also ordered a bag of lime for this same purpose. At one of the fabric houses I purchased several lengths of both bleached and unbleached fine muslin which would be delivered with the Hall's goods. I had need of new underclothes and intended on using the muslin to make my own rather than pay the cost of what was in the shops. I also wished to make some for Nat who tended to wait as long as possible to apply to the Bishop for access to the closets that the Brothers used.

The other items that I picked up were pen nibs, ink, pencils, waxed thread for sewing together my note pads, a packet of hair wires, and a skein of fine black yarn so that I could crochet some extra snoods as time presented itself. I ordered several skeins of hemp yarn that I planned to dye as I needed. I ordered some corn fiber yarn to knit a throw for Mizz Marta's lap since wool made her itch.

"Have a passion for yarns do you?" April said with a laugh.

"Oh Aye. My stitching may not be as good as it should be but I do enjoy the sensation of needles or hooks weaving yarns and silks into useful objects."

Mrs. Talbot added, "And she makes the most beautiful lace. She is the one that repaired the large lace table cover that Mrs. Linder used for last evenings supper."

Grinning April asked, "Should I speak to James about starting a line of Linderhall Lace?"

I shook my head vigorously. "Don't you dare. I've got more than enough to go on as it is right now. But ... perhaps ... yes, it might be a way for me in the future to find some independence."

"I knew there were several reasons for me to like you and not just because you've given my little brother a fine opponent to deflate that head of his."

I laughed and said, "My pleasure I assure you."

April laughed once again and said, "I tell you, this is the first time I've seen him bored when presented with several Misses when we have guests. Usually he is too eager to have a go at some fun."

"Good Heavens, are they trying to marry him off then? Although upon reflection I suppose an alliance with the proper family would be timely." Then in alarm I looked at her and asked, "They don't have the same designs on me do they?"

With a cynical snort April said, "I don't believe they've gotten around to it yet but I would stay on my guard. Chell brought that brother in law of hers for some reason, and it certainly wasn't for me."

Shuddering at the idea of being forced into company with a man like that I said, "If they were smart they'd pack him off to the Guard to get that posing knocked out of him. Unless it is his desire in life to have a career as a statue model. He needs to find something useful to do with his status."

April peeled another laugh and we continued our looking in the fabric house. I sighed over some of the silk thread and the other yarns but I had what I needed and needed to remember that I could live without my wants. But temptations were certainly calling; the local yarns made from buffalo and alpaca herds and camel yarn from the Western regions called to me. I nearly fell to the desire for an exotic yarn from the Southerlands made from banana stalk fiber. There was another from a north eastern area that was a mix of cotton and kelp fiber in a pink that didn't look like it could possibly come from a natural dye. I had to force myself to walk away from a skein made of silk and musk ox that I envisioned in a scarf about the Sheriff's neck. Turning away from that I faced several racks of brightly colored soy yarns and added a skein of true purple to my purchases though I had no idea what I would use it for. Resolutely I headed to the counter and avoided looking and feeling the yarns made from yak fibers, cashmere, mohair, meriboo, and all of the many others than were begging to be touched and felt.

When we left that shop I admitted that I hadn't gotten everything I had come for but more than sufficient to tide me over through the winter if I was careful and told the other ladies, "Well I'm tapped out and have more than enough to keep me busy for quite some time. What is left on your lists?"

April stepped into the bookseller to gather some things for the girls and called me in to offer my opinion between two basic homekeeping texts. It was an easy choice for me as one was written by my own Sister Evelyn and I knew it to be extremely comprehensive and would last them several seasons of lessons. I mentioned that if she wished she could look over my college volumes to get an idea for a direction to take. I also mentioned that she might want to schedule observations with the household staff so that they can get an idea of the purpose of the lessons. "Since they have not been exposed to the idea that they should have housewifery skills - I presume because they are expected to marry such a high status that they do not need them - I would at least give them concrete evidence of how such talents and skills make their daily lives easier so they can be duly appreciative and protective of any staff under their protection."

"That's a fine idea. Do you think you could haul Liesel around with you? I really need to give Rosalee some extra attention so she can regain her confidence."

Surprised but willing I said, "If you think it would be helpful. I move rather quickly from one thing to the next but at least she would get to meet the Hall Staff, something I doubt she has had a chance to do this point."

And with that the last few purchases for the Hall were made and we returned to our conveyances.

-

"Are you sure Widow? There's plenty of room in the wagon."

"Your offer is kind Mrs. Talbot but Nanny needs to be ridden or she will grow as round as a barrel. Plus I need to clear my head a bit. I won't get out of sight of everyone."

"Oh I don't think you will be riding alone," the woman said. She actually tittered which warned me who was approaching.

There stood the Sheriff but he did not have his normally mischievous look but rather appeared nearly as serious as he had at our first meeting.


	49. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

"Sheriff?"

"You insist on riding?"

I looked at him closely and said slowly, "That had been my plan but if you are truly against it I will relent and ride with the other ladies."

My response surprised him and some of the sharpness left his face. "That was prettier said than I had any reason to expect. I ... I was rather foul to you in front of your ... friends."

"Friends? In all honesty I have few. Those men were friends of my father and grandfather or at least knew him and our family through the Woodsmen Guild. To them I am simply the last of a family that had carried the title of Woodsman with honor for several generations. And a curiosity I'm sure ... an axe wielding lady ... axe wielding widow ... or something of that nature anyway. Woodsmen find the most curious things humorous."

He came down from Charger and boosted me up onto Nanny's saddle. "You sure you feel well enough to ride?" he asked.

"Sheriff tell me honestly. Are you concerned for my health or is it something else?"

He looked at me strangely then returned to his own saddle. "You were kidnapped, trampled, and helped bring down a water tower to thwart a dangerous fire. Most females I know would be decidedly ... er ... unwell after such an experience."

"I am rather more worse the wear from shopping to tell you the truth. My feet are killing me and I'm glad to be off of them for a while."

"Shopping," he said in a bemused tone.

"Yes," I told him nodding. "I dislike pushing my budget as far as I had to. I had based my spending expectations on what I had experienced during my first time at Linderhall and upon the prices more recently in Harper. To find out how shockingly inaccurate I was has been ... disturbing."

"Did you apply to James for the stipend I set up?"

"That's not the point Sheriff, though yes I did or there would not have been a shopping excursion. Regardless of where the money comes from the prices are not as I expected and I need to re-evaluate some of my plans."

"You do not like taking Linder coinage do you."

It was more a statement than a question. I looked at him as we began to follow the wagons and noticed outriders that I had not seen before. Pointing at them I asked, "You are still concerned? Is that the reason for the Guards?"

"Don't ignore my question Leeda."

Startled by his use of my given name I responded, "I am not ignoring it, I simply don't know exactly how to respond. I am not against being paid for a job well done and I am doing a good job for the Linder family. I am earning that money so it would be beyond foolish to pitch a fit because of where it comes from."

"This is not a job, this is family."

I sighed. "Nat said much the same and I'll tell you what I told him ... it is more ... comfortable shall we call it for me to consider it a job."

"That makes no sense."

"Argh. I am so tired of hearing that phrase. It makes sense to me even if it is the long way around to accomplish something. There is going to come a time when I leave Linderhall and I will need to be as self-sufficient as possible. Dependency is the exact opposite of self-sufficiency. I do not wish to have to repeat the transition I made when I left Linderhall the first time. I was not spoiled but I had forgotten what it was like not to have to do everything alone."

"It still makes no sense. Why do you feel you must leave at any point?"

His tone was odd. "Must I leave? I suppose ... not. I could use my status and expectations to remain in the Dower House until my end of days. But ..." I stopped and shook my head.

"But?" he prompted.

Instead of answering him I asked a question of my own. "What of you? Will you remain at Linderhall?"

After a moment of quiet his said, "That is my future. I am the Sheriff of Tentuckia now. Ronald asked me the difference between what I was doing before as a Guard Investigator and what I do now. It is added status but that status comes with greater responsibilities and time constraints ... and less luxury of moving about as I wish. Tomas seems pleased enough with my performance for me to remain the Sheriff. And in all honesty ... the responsibilities ... they do not bother me as much as they did in the beginning. Both Tomas and James have relented their constant need to oversee my business. Were they like Father - acting like I was still in a training harness - it would be another matter. I believe this status that has been thrust upon me is turning into something that I can live with."

Quietly I told him, "I'm happy for you. But in the Spring - at the latest - that which makes my life tolerable here at Linderhall will be at an end. Mizz Marta will be well ... or in retirement and another in her place if her health and mental faculties to not fully return. The house will be set to rights. The heir will be born, the succession secured. You'll never be completely rid of the Mayor's Council or the Great Council as that is the nature of politics but they should have found some new outlet for their energies by then. But my job - my reason for being here - will have ceased. I am not the type that can be decorative Sheriff. I must have purpose, it is the only thing that has ever kept me going. When I came to Linderhall the first time ... the early weeks were not healthy ones for me."

"You were a child."

"Stop obsessing on that. I would not wish it on any other but it was my reality and I've dealt with it and it is over with. And, in all honesty, I was not your typical fourteen year old to begin with but one prematurely matured by the loss of all my family but Nat. I had my college at first which gave me a purpose. When that was taken from me ... well Mizz Marta helped me and I found purpose in running errands and being useful and while it wasn't a perfect dream it did reinforce the facts of life as I learned them. Then when my husband died and I returned to Harper I found purpose in helping those that came to me and supporting Nat in his pursuit of higher service in his Order. And even as the season changed yet again God allowed me a purpose here ... to help those that had once helped me. But that too will end just as everything else has ended at some point in my life ... and I must be prepared to face it."

"Alone?"

"We are never truly alone Sheriff."

"That's religion."

"No, that's faith.


	50. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The Sheriff was silent for a few minutes and we rode on. "Did you recognize your attacker?"

"Excuse me?"

"Recognize him."

"Oh ... well I wasn't really given much of an opportunity as I do not make it my habit to identify men by the set of their britches."

The Sheriff made an odd noise, as did the two closest Guards. The Sheriff glared at them and they fell back a few horse lengths. He turned to me and said, "Really. That mouth ..."

I looked at him and then realized I'd managed to embarrass him. "Oh dear. I do beg your pardon. I was simply trying to answer your question as honestly and directly as possible."

"Humph. Why you assume I would think you were ... er ... identifying men ... uh ..."

"Cease Sheriff before you tangle your brain, and allow this to be one more example of how I am not some frail Miss like you would have grown up knowing at your status. I may be the Widow Linder but I was the daughter of a Woodsman for much longer."

A tad angrily he said, "So you shocked me on purpose."

"No. I did not mean to shock you at all I was simply being myself, something I thought I could be around you but ..."

"No! Er ... don't start whatever bit of logic you are trying to play on me. April does that and it is damned uncomfortable. Be yourself ... simply ... er ... do it when there are not other men about. It makes you ... too approachable. No need to give them ideas."

"And what precisely is that supposed to mean?" I asked him becoming irritated.

"It means ... damnation ... it means Leeda that you set my wits to begging. I've never met anyone like you. And blasted you are only sixteen, the same age as Nancee and I'd kill any slack jawed idiot that treated her the way you've been treated. What, by all the martyrs, am I supposed to do with you?"

"Nothing."

"I ..." he stopped. "Excuse me?"

"You aren't supposed to do anything with me Sheriff. I am not your responsibility. You fulfilled your duty when you fetched me at your brother's request. Now ... now I would hope what time we spend in each other's company is not out of duty but out of ... uh ... er ..."

He grinned and I felt like ordering Nanny to kick him out of the saddle.

"Out of what Leeda?"

Refusing to be drawn into making a fool of myself before he made one of himself I asked, "And that's the other thing. You called me Widow just fine this morning."

"Yes I did and now I'm calling you Leeda and not because my status allows it. I am not going to just stand around acting like it means nothing when some idiot with a clothes fetish or some demon in hides tries to snatch you right from under my nose."

His irritation could be taken in multiple ways and I wasn't sure if I wanted to take the chance in reading into it what I might wish to hear. Instead I told him, "First of all, I believe it was rather obvious what I thought of the posey young man with the puce colored face - he really shouldn't wear corsets in this heat - and ..."

The Sheriff glared at the Guardsmen again for making that same strange strangling noise then told them, "Ride to the front."

"Begging your pardon Sheriff but The Guardian bid us stay even if you ordered us to Himself Down Below."

The Sheriff snapped, "Damnation!"

Shaking my head I remonstrated, "Oh do stop. It is too warm to make such a fuss. I've said nothing that isn't true and honest and I'm sure they'll behave accordingly if they are asked to report what we spoke of."

The Sheriff just glowered and continued to do so for the remainder of our silent ride back to Linderhall. We got to the stables and were surrounded by those wanting to know the facts of what had transpired.

Feeling a bit pinched by the Sheriff's irritation I told the crowd, "The day was over warm. The crowds were awful. The prices were shameful. Then several young men of ill-repute did what young men of ill-repute generally do causing unnecessary ruckus and property damage. The Woodsmen Guild helped to save Little Linderton by bringing down one of the town's water towers. And some of us ladies were finally able to finish our shopping in relative peace which is where you need to pick up. Jode, Jude ... you and the other young men need to fetch and carry these packages for your mother and put them where she tells you to, don't just pile them in the staff dining hall for people to paw through. This will get the small packages out of the wagons so that the men can take the barrels and boxes to Mrs. Cooksey for the pantry or wherever else they are destined for."

"But Widow ... we heard you were kidnapped."

Shaking my head at some people's need to turn the day into more of a drama than it already had been I asked, "Do I look kidnapped? I am standing right here."

"But ..."

"If you are referring to the brute with the bad manners then I assure you the Sheriff and the Guard have the matter fully in hand. You don't really think such behavior would be allowed to go unanswered do you? This is Little Linderton, not the wilds of the Borderlands regardless of what some smelly, ill-tempered savages might think. Now enough questions, let's get this finished before the bugs come out and supper is late."

I made my escape while the Sheriff and the Guardsmen that the Linder had set on us were swamped by concerned staff members. I took my bags from Nanny and then allowed her to be led away by one of the stable boys that was enamored of her. I could hear him saying, "There now Lovey. Let ol' Brett get you fixed up and brushed down. That's my girl."

Nanny was casting loving mule eyes the boy's way so I knew she was in good hands and started my walk to the Dower House.


	51. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

"I could smell the garlic as it wafted down the path."

I looked to the closed kitchen door and shook my head at the voice that was coming through it.

"It is late Sheriff."

"So you won't open the door?" he wheedled.

Shaking my head I lifted the latch on the top half and opened it a small ways. "Don't you have reports or something calling your name?"

In the dim light of the porch lamp I had turned on I saw him lift a secretarial satchel. "Actually I haven't taken a full deposition from you so I can't finish my reports yet." Then he lifted the other hand and said, "Besides I come baring gifts ... ice for the cooler."

"Good heavens, give it here before it completely melts."

"Just open the door and I'll carry it in."

"Botheration you are persistent."

"Yes ... yes I am," with a tired grin.

I let him in and said, "People will talk."

"Where's the girl that was assigned here?"

"She's helping Kate Cummins who is hosting a ladies' brunch tomorrow for those in Linderhall and several from the neighborhood. She seemed quite frazzled by the idea when we crossed paths today."

"You aren't going?"

"No. Why would I?" I replied in surprise.

He looked at me and shook his head. "You really don't consider yourself part of the family do you?"

"I've explained this before ... here, take this cloth and wipe up all those drips before they stain the floor ... we are only distantly connected," I told him as I placed the block of ice in my cupboard cooler just in time to see the block of ice from yesterday offer up its last chip and fall through the screen it sat on. "And to me politics does not a family make."

Turning back to the Sheriff I asked, "Can you forego the formality of the library and set your satchel at the table? This soup is almost ready to go into the saving jars and then back into the sealing pot for processing. And I hope you have room for a mug of it for this is what I want you to eat to regain your strength."

"You've been listening to April. Not a damn thing wrong with my strength."

"Don't pout. My statement was not meant to be derogatory. I refer to your health. If you insist upon working at all hours in all weather before you are completely recovered then you will need to make concessions in other areas."

"So you don't expect me to sit on the porch and tat lace?"

With complete honesty I told him, "I doubt you could be forced to do so under pain of torture so I would be foolish to even try much less expect it of you."

"True," he said as he took things out of his satchel and set them upon the table and I ladled a mug of garlicky green broth into a mug.

I turned back around and asked, "What on earth is that? Is ... by the saints ... is that a duplication machine?!"

"Aye. I let the young man I had as secretary go after I found out he was a connection to Kinsey ... turns out he was one of those bastard children you found out about."

I pulled out a bench and sat down slowly.

"Widow? Leeda?"

"What? Oh ... sorry. I really didn't mean to set it from my mind. Just ..."

"Here now. I've upset you. Bad form."

I looked at him and straightened my spine. "Do not be ridiculous. And stop sounding like that silly young man. Bad form indeed. Please talk like you have some sense and are a member of the human species and not some popinjay posey ..."

The Sheriff's laughter cut me off. "There's my fiesty widow. Seriously Leeda, I did not mean to upset you. You've had a long day and I'm about to make it longer."

"That does not sound at all promising."

"I'm afraid it isn't my Dear."

Abruptly I told him, "Don't."

"Excuse me?"

Through gritted teeth I said, "Don't call me ... that. He did. You are not saying it the same but ... just ... just don't."

All frivolity fled from the room and the Sheriff got a very serious look on his face. "I've heard my brothers call you that several times and you did not object."

"That's them. This is ... this is you. It's different. I do not wish to discuss how it is different, it simply is."

The Sheriff looked at me and then said quietly, "Yes, it is different. And no, I do not think the time is right for that discussion either. There are a great many undercurrents to be waded through, not to mention that I wish to speak again with your cousin before such a ... er ... discussion takes place."

I could barely swallow and felt like running. It was nearly too much. I hadn't yet decided to give into these foolish dreams that kept hinting at possibilities and here he was saying that he was thinking thoughts that may very well follow my own.

"Leeda ... don't be afraid. Not of me. I know that ... that your past will affect ... what may come between us. But don't let it be because of fear."

Slowly I controlled my breathing and nodded. "It isn't you I fear and that is as far as I can ... you know ... too much ... about ... about my private business ... I can't forget it ... can't pretend you don't know ..."

He gently placed his hand over mine. "You asked me not to obssess on the age you married and were widowed at. I'm now asking you not to obssess on me knowing ... of your circumstances during that period. Let us simply move along slowly and both come to terms with the issues we face. There's ... there's things you don't know and should. Tomas and James want to ... protect you from the facts we've uncovered but while that may work for most of the other females I think it is a harebrained way to deal with you and April. You've both faced too much, survived it and moved on, to be ... disrespected with too much protection."

I looked at him and then down at his hand then back at him. He slowly removed his hand then stood up and took a few steps away from the table and faced the window looking out over the space that should be occupied by a kitchen garden but which currently was nothing more than my woodpile. "It's one of the reasons why I've come. This thing today, it ..." He stopped and cleared his throat. "Your attempted kidnap does not appear to be a random event but whether it was a crime of opportunity or whether the riot was an orchestrated event I am not prepared to say."

"Wasn't random?" I asked in confusion. I swallowed and asked, "Would you please sit down and let us start at the beginning? If you are going to grant me the confidence to be able to internalize what you've discovered and add it to the sum of my own knowledge then let us at least do it in something approaching comfort and rapport. I have cookies."

The Sheriff gave a surprised bark of laughter. "Cookies?"

"Yes, and you may have some after you finish your mug of broth."

He chuckled and whatever tension had entered the room had given us a reprieve ... or at least a temporary one.


	52. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

The Sheriff started his reports. As he wrote on one side the duplication machine made an exact duplicate on another sheet of paper.

"Wish they could rig the typewriter up to do this," the Sheriff complained. "My handwriting is damned awful."

"Do you wish me to take your dictation?" I asked.

"No because then Tomas and James would ask far too many damned questions. They are already pinching at me. You heard how he instructed those Guards to stick to us like burrs. Blasted bunch of busy-bodies."

Ignoring his remarks about busy-bodies I asked, "You remember that Nat's order specializes in ancient texts?" At his nod I told him, "Well before he became too busy to do it, Nat used to tell me about things he learned about the Lost Technologies. One of the things he said were quite common up until the Days of Destruction was a device much as you described. There was a machine that you typed on and it contained some form of internal memory ... like a book but ... well not like a book precisely ... but it stored what was typed on it so that it could be duplicated over and over again as many times as you wished on a machine similar to a printing press."

"Dear Martyrs that must have been useful."

"Nat says the same thing but doesn't do so in mixed company. The Regional University still considers them a forbidden technology since how they work has been lost to the ages. They weren't mechanical so ..."

"So those old fussbudgets deem them demonic or something as asinine."

"Shhhh. Someone will hear you," I said glancing around guiltily. Then felt silly for doing so.

"Which reminds me ... let's go take care of that passage way."

"What?"

Out of the satchel he pulled a padlock and a few other things. "The idea of just anyone being able to breeze into this place while you are here and unprotected freezes my blood. Come along. I may not be able to do much about other things but this I can and will."

It took far less time than I expected and soon the Sheriff had drilled several holes in the plaster and installed a hasp lock that prevented the passage way door from opening. He also slid a large shelf in front of it so the lock itself would draw no questions. "Here," he said. "You keep this key and no one will be able to come and go from here without your say so. I've got a duplicate but to get in I'd have to come through this side and unlock that hasp first ... and I won't." He looked at me and asked, "Do you believe me Leeda?"

"Yes, I suppose I must. Thank you."

"You are welcome. And now back to those reports or I'll be up until the dawn because Tomas wants to see me smartly soon thereafter."

"A bear for work is your brother?"

"Yes but this time it is mostly because his wife has social events scheduled all day tomorrow and while he'd like to beg off of them in truth they are useful at getting to know people."

"Hmmm."

"You don't agree?"

"It is that I already have met many of those people and ... I did not impress them."

"Then they're idiots and I'll ignore them."

He said it so seriously I did not know whether to believe him or not and right as we reached the head of the cellar stairs I heard insistent knocking. I ran to answer the door and the Sheriff pulled me up short and pushed me behind him then nodded for me to call out.

"Who is it?"

"Chancellor Linder."

In exasperation the Sheriff wrenched open the front door and snapped, "What the hell do you want James?"

"Good heavens Man, that's a fine way to ..." He stopped and looked closer at his brother. "What have you been up to?" he asked suspiciously.

"Putting a lock where," he slowed down when he spotted John and Kate Cummins behind him. "... one was needed," he finished slightly cryptically. "Why?"

"You're a mess. And what is that smell?"

The Doctor, Kate, and I all said, "Garlic." The Chancellor blinked in surprise and then smiled. "Getting dosed are you?"

"Aw shut up," the Sheriff grumped. "If John's potions all tasted as good as this he wouldn't have to beg his patients to be good and take them."

I crossed my arms and said to him, "You are being silly once again. I suspect that had you minded the Doctor to begin with you would not be getting 'dosed' now. And have you finished your mug?"

In a singsong voice the Sheriff said, "Yes Widow Linder, I've been a good boy."

I snorted. "I doubt anyone has ever said that to you."

Everyone laughed, including the Sheriff and I invited the others in. In a quandary because I needed to check the processing pot but didn't think it was quite the thing to have them come into the kitchen Kate Cummins saved me by saying, "Please don't stand on ceremony. I heard April mention that you were going to cook up a healthy broth to tempt Daren into a better mood and I'm anxious to have the recipe."

I led them to the kitchen and quickly looked around to see that things were neat and tidy ... except for the mess on the table and that belonged to the Sheriff. The man, being incorrigible asked, "I've drunk my medicine Ma'am so now do I get my cookies?"

I wanted to fling the tea towel at him but decided to save the violence until there were no pacifists around and instead offered tea and cookies to those that might care for them.

"We can take them ... hmmm ..."

"Let 'em flop here," the Sheriff said using his boot to push a bench in their direction. The others he said, "I gather you are all escaping the madness at the Hall."

Unashamedly all three nodded. I asked, "Where's Tosha?"

"Put to bed with a raging headache. There was something in the smoke this afternoon that didn't agree with her at all."

"Is she alright?"

"She will be. It wasn't the smoke by itself ... her mother showed up unexpectedly this afternoon and made a hysterical fuss over what happened in Little Linderton. Said she is sending for all of my sister in laws because of course I must be incapable of tending to Tosha properly."

"Good heavens," I whispered. "At what point did she remember that you are now the Chancellor of Tentuckia?"

He got a rather satisfied smile on his face and answered, "About the time that Tomas walked in the room with some of the other guests wondering what all the to do was about. One of these days I am going to be able to replicate that stare of Tomas', it is just going to take practice."

The stare must be well known because the others all grinned. Since I hadn't been faced with it yet I shrugged and passed around a plate of cookies.

After a few munches and some light and general conversation the Chancellor said, "Well I suppose we better let you return to your reports."

The Sheriff groaned. "Yes, please. As it is I still haven't taken the Widow's deposition and I've got to add it in to all of the other mishmash that Tomas wants before the a ... er crack of dawn."

The Chancellor looked at him in sympathy and then they left. The Sheriff maintained an affable look on his face until the door closed and then he almost snarled. "Damn busybodies. Let's get this started before Tomas sends a contingent of the Guard next ... or worse ... he sends April over to play third wheel."

"Surely that was just ..."

"He's a Linder ... The Linder ... remember? Nothing ever just has one purpose. They might have been out for a walk as they stated but I'm positive that it will get back to my brother that I was actually doing what I said I was going to do and not just ... er ... uh ..."

A little indignantly I said, "We have never er'd or uh'd and how dare he think I would. I didn't even do that when I was married. I ... oh ... oh I ... hmmm ..."

The Sheriff smiled gently. "It's alright. Tomas doesn't mean to be a pain in the backside, he is simply genetically predisposed to it. He's been ordering my life nearly as long as Father did. And while it is a bad habit I wish he would break I'm sure he did not mean to insult you so much as to remind me of my duty and honor."

"Phhhtttt. Tell him to go mind someone else's duty and honor that needs it minded. Even if you forget yours I can't forget mine. My status ..." I stopped shaking my head.

"Then let us both tell him to take one of John's powders and get back to our business. And don't put that plate away ... I want another cookie."

"You've had four already."

"Stop counting and it won't bother you as much. Now sit and let us return to what we must."


	53. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52**

The Sheriff gritted his teeth and said, "There was another man?!"

"He was going to shoot Nanny ... or one of the other animals. I couldn't just stand there and let that happen!"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "Leeda. I swear by every last one of the saints that if you keep this up I am going to be forced to set a watcher on you."

Outraged at even the idea I snapped, "Excuse me?!"

Sounding regretful he said, "It won't be for your own good but for mine. Do you realize how uncivilized those Borderland savages can be?! What if you had missed and he turned that rifle on you?! Or worse?!"

"He didn't and stop yelling. What did you expect me to do? Throw up my hands and squeal help, help there's a bad man? What did you give me my fang back for if not to use it?"

"That is not the point."

"Yes, it is," I contradicted. "Now do stop having palpitations and let us be done with this."

I finished the tale and he looked at me suspiciously. "You've left nothing out?"

In exasperation I asked, "Why should I? I've done nothing wrong and you'd only find out afterwards and then add that to the sum you already seem to be counting up."

The Sheriff shook his head. "I don't know whether to go to the church and pray or cross this table and shake you. Do you ... you just ... now listen here ..."

Ignoring his discombobulated speech I told him, "You may dictate if you wish but I have to say in all honesty I will likely do whatever is necessary if faced with such a scenario again. You may wish to keep the troubles from finding me. I may wish to not have the troubles find me. But in my experience that has never stopped the troubles from finding me and as such it is my duty to behave like something other than a dithering idiot. Da and Ma taught me to take care of myself early on because we lived in the middle of the forest and shared the space with things that would just as soon eat me as look at me. My grandparents cabin - the one you found me living in - wasn't quite so far into the trees as the one I grew up in but it still wasn't unusual for me to have to deal with bears, buffalos, forest cats, monkeys, and other beasties on occasion."

"Wait. Did you say monkeys?"

"Yes and a bothersome bunch of demon spawn they were. The same plague that took my family knocked their numbers far back but they still make themselves known now and again."

He shook his head. "I thought Turner Waverly was pulling my leg when he said to beware of them."

"Trust me, they are worth being beware of."

"Very well but seriously Leeda, avoid this type of thing when you can. What am I saying?! I don't want this to ever happen again. I won't tolerate it. Tomas wasn't pulling a prank when he said I turned inside out to find you'd been hauled off."

I said, "Speaking of, were you able to locate the lack wit?"

"Tomas or your kidnapper?"

"You are revealing your Nealy side again," I told him mildly.

The Sheriff shrugged and leaned back in the chair he sat in, "You think your kidnapper a lack wit?"

"Yes. No self-respecting Woodsman would ever assume a woman was unable to defend herself and leave his back unprotected like that. We are taught from the cradle on how important it is that our menfolk know we can defend ourselves so that they can go off and do their work without the worry of our care eating their guts."

The Sheriff blinked. "I ... suppose that is one way of looking at it." He cleared his throat then continued. "As for catching the man in question, yes I did. Being sewn up by a rather less than charitable female that smelled of the same family as he. After my service in the Guard I am far from sensitive but I must admit the smell of all of them shoved into that small back room was enough to cause me to want to gag. I consider his arrest a kindness as at least he will receive proper medical care and not have to worry about sepsis in his a ... er ... buttock."

"If he does get it he'll get no sympathy from me. I'm not disposed to being gentle with the criminal set. What they'll do once they'll do twice or more if allowed to get away with it the first time."

"Bloodthirsty Woodsman are you?" he asked sarcastically.

Ignoring his tone I responded, "Woodsman's daughter and no, I'm not bloodthirsty but rather realistic. You've become very civilized here in this part of the region, particularly here around Linderhall and Little Linderton, but in the outlying towns, especially those like Harper and Old Paduck that lie close to the Border, we can't afford the condition. Nip trouble in the bud. If you can't nip it before it happens, squash the life out of it after it does. That is one of the things about Rom's father that I never understood. He used to be as fierce in that issue as his father and grandfather before him ... even back to when the Waverly served the Harpers before we turned away from the Mayorship ... but lately it seems he's been more lenient. It made some people talk ... and worry. He'd gotten fussy and ... and fancy of late."

"Well Turner doesn't appear to be like that at all. He said he'd give hard labor if he could but that some actions could only be met with terminal consequences."

"Yes, that is the way Harper has always been. Our people don't seem to understand much else. My husband cursed the trait one moment and then praised it the next depending on his mood or how it interfered with whatever politicking he was doing. The people of such towns may have a civilized outer layer but scratch that off and they would probably be unrecognizable from those that built the walls in the days following the chaos of the Destruction."

The Sheriff nodded. "Saw a lot of that in the Guard myself. It is one of the things that is so hard to explain to Tomas and James. They're good men as our species goes but they've too little experience in some areas they'd do better to have experience in. But of course they see themselves as older and therefore somehow more experienced than me. It is a difficult dynamic to overcome. Still, they are more realistic than Father was so there's that."

"Does it make your job difficult?"

"At times but we aren't here to speak of me so stop distracting."

"Very well then. You have my deposition and even have it duplicated. Now will you explain why you say that my incident was no random event and how you come to that conclusion?"

"Hmmm. To do that ..." He looked at me and I could see that he was becoming much more serious. "Leeda, I do not wish to anger you or alarm you but what you must understand is that Tomas has always taken his duty very seriously even as a boy ... and sometimes he is ... hmmm ... too serious about it or perhaps I should say intent upon doing it. And now that he is both The Linder and The Guardian he feels his duty even more strongly."

Suspiciously I asked, "Does this have anything to do with my husband's journal?"

"Not solely but some of the information contained in those journals would have ... let us say that your intelligence would have led you to realize that the games your hu ... the former Guardian played were very deep. You would also realize that he had planned to marry you long before he was presented with the opportunity."

"The Linder said something similar but I hardly know how that could be possible. I was but fourteen. The marriage arranged between Rom and Fan was sudden and ... Why are you looking like that?"

The Sheriff wiped his mouth. "Leeda, this must not leave this room. You must not - under any circumstances - discuss this issue with anyone. Don't even discuss it with me unless you are certain no one else is about. Not even ..."

The way he stopped talking I realized something. "Are you saying that you ... that you are breaking a confidence to tell me this?"

"Not ... well ... in a manner of speaking. I was told to use my best judgment and that is what I am doing. It is not my fault if Tomas and James make the assumption that I will abide by their judgment in this matter."

"Oh ... oh you ..."

"Don't think on it and let us continue now that I've started. Just remember, once you have this knowledge you ... you hold a great deal of power."

Quietly I told him, "I understand."


	54. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

"Leeda, I'm still not certain when the manipulation began or even why specifically though we have our suspicions. I'm still not certain what the reasoning for it is though again we have our suspicions. All I can say is that Fan's betrotheds were intentionally stationed on the border by order of the Guard."

"That isn't unusual."

"No, it is not. And that is the way it was meant to look. Until you realize that all three men were ordered to the front line by the same commander who answered only and directly to the then Guardian. And that reading the journals the assignments were specifically for a purpose and that purpose being primarily to narrow the playing field. Fan's brother was also assigned to the border for the same reason though he survived through skill or luck much longer than was expected."

"Why? Why would ..."

"As I said, we are still working that bit out. What I am sure of is that both you and Fan served some purpose to the Guardian but as the plan took longer to enact than expected and Fan ... aged ... you became the primary object of his ... er ... desire."

I shuddered. "I was never that so please don't ..."

"I ... I am finding it difficult to go into detail but suffice it to say that that is exactly what you were. He had a ... er ... lively fantasy where you were concerned. It ..."

It hit me suddenly. I jumped up from the bench and ran to the sink and was violently ill. "Leeda?!"

I held him off with one hand and pumped the handle with the other washing the evidence down the drain. "Don't," I gasped. "I realize those details might be necessary but just ..."

"Come and sit. Now Leeda."

I was still finding it difficult to control my rebellious stomach. "I was sick on him that first night too. He was furious. But ... but he forced me to eat foods that I was unused to and drink so much, something else I was unused to. Then when we ... when we came to his chamber he poured some powder into a glass of wine and made me drink that on top of all the rest. He said it would relax me. It did the opposite. It ... it caused me to hallucinate and then when he ... I just ... it ..." I stopped and could only stare at my hands clinched tightly into fists in my lap.

"Leeda ..."

"There ... there is undoubtedly something wrong with me. At least in that respect. I had thought ... but it appears that ..."

"Stop. This. Instant. Now look at me. Leeda, look at me."

I didn't want to but I did. He was a Linder whether he was all Linder or not and when they want something they usually get it.

"Leeda, you ... were ... a ... child. You were there unwillingly. You were given no choice. Had no control. And the old bastard then tried to dose you up to make you pliable so he could have his geriatric way with you ... that damned pervert. He may have been sick but it was a sick of his own making and I hope the Maker has roasted him properly."

"Don't ..."

"What? Don't say I hope he's with Himself Down Below? Well I do. Or at least that part of him that was who he was there in his last years. The old bastard missed so much and if he didn't miss it then ... Damn. Just don't let him ruin the rest of your life. And stop worrying that it is going to be the same for you every time. Any man that is a man that cares for you would be willing to wait and work with your feelings. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

After a moment I nodded. "Just don't be disappointed."

"I don't think it is possible for me to be disappointed in you," he said patting my hand. "Do you feel able to ... to hear more?"

"No. But still I must."

The Sheriff nodded and sat back in his chair. "Some of what the old bastard writes in his journal does not make sense. He gets somewhat more lucid towards the end of the last journal - at least for a time - and we suspect it is because he is not being allowed his 'medicine' any longer though undoubtedly he was receiving legitimate medicine for the very real pain he was in. And ... and I must admit that ... that he was ... remorseful to a certain extent. Unrealistic in what was and was not his responsibility but Tomas did not lie when he told you he was remorseful."

"Very ... very well. He was remorseful and I suppose the rest of it is simply what will be dealt with on Judgment Day. But ... but let us return to this issue of Fan and I. Did he ... I don't know ... plan to do away with Rom as well?"

"He would have had he shown a tenacious design upon you. But when it was seen ..."

"How easily he went along with his father's scheme?" I asked to ease his worry that he would upset me.

"Yes, that. When he saw how easily he let you go your ... er ... the former Guardian lost interest in him and thought it a good way to hold Fan in the wings should he need to go back to the idea of using her."

"Using her ... me ... us ... using us for what?"

"An heir. A viable male heir. He knew about Ceena and Tonya's background ... had studied it, said he'd given them a chance though he'd never meant for them to provide his heir in the first place as he didn't want any, and I quote, any half savage brat taking the title of Guardian and it didn't matter what the treaties said he'd see it never happened."

"I ... now do not take this the wrong way ... but that is The Linder I knew. He could be and often was ruthless. I believe it is how he was able to have dealings with the Borderlands in ways that many other Guardians are not."

"True and Tomas knows that it may come down to the same for him but he'll politic it out if he can rather than use brute strength. He's made a study of history and has no desire to wear the title of tyrant."

"Good. But people will both want him to and expect him to ... may even try and force him to."

The Sheriff nodded. "Tomas is already seeing that, and from unexpected quarters."

"The Vanburens?"

"Not all of them but some of them yes. They seem to have grudges they expect the Guardian to ... rectify. But thus far there is no connection of that to this."

"How does the man today figure into it? Or is this more of Ceena and Tonya's leftover mischief making?"

"Very perceptive. Do you remember when you visited their families?"

"How could I forget? It is when I found Nanny."

"That it may have been but ... but in truth you were not to survive that ordeal."

"Oh. Well. I suppose I should have thought of that after all I've learned of them. At the time however I thought their anger and scolds was because I had gone off on my own and then our husband heard and came down himself and there was a fury of an argument and I was sent back to Linderhall but I thought it was because I was being punished. But the Headman let me keep Nanny so it didn't bother me so much. I didn't like how they all laughed and stared as I rode her away but ..." I shrugged. "I knew not what was going on in their heads. They were trying to frighten me one moment and almost like the Woodsmen I knew growing up the next, so in the end that is the way I treated them. It made them much easier to deal with, except for the women. I wouldn't turn my back on any of them and even at fourteen I knew most of them would be happy to slit my throat for their altar."

"Altar? Ceena and Tonya ... they took you ... it was that brazen?"

"Yes. I only saw animals being sacrificed but ..." Troubled I turned to look in the past. "One time when I was out walking I stumbled upon a pile of bones. Not all of them were animal bones. I saw ... several skulls, ribs, femurs and other smaller bones."

"Did it trouble you at the time? Did you think they were an old die off spot?"

I shook my head. "I ... I have no proof of this and I've never told anyone. But ... but you know my training. Looking at those bones I could tell most of them had been ... slaughtered ... and ... and boiled. Even the skulls. And they were fresh, not from the Destruction."

"I'll take that as a confirmation of some rumors I've heard during my investigation."

"Yes. And ... and you ... you might want to speak to Dr. Cummins."

"Why?"

"There are certain diseases that such ... well call it what it is. If I did witness the leavings of cannibalism then those that practice such deviant desires can develop certain diseases that become cyclical. The disease lodges in the human flesh ... then when that flesh is ... is consumed ..."

"Yes," he said darkly. "I've seen it. I did a tour early on that was deep into the Borderlands. They consume the disease then become the disease which is then consumed. Do you ... do you have any reason to think that Ceena and Tonya ..."

"No. Not here. But they did attend some ceremonies that I was forbidden from attending. It was part of the fight that they had ... after Nanny and I saved each other. Our husband ... he ... he actually threatened them with divorce. He said they'd agreed not to do ... something ... it was part of a treaty. I never could figure out what he was speaking of. It was only an hour or so after that that he came storming into my tent and ordered me to be ready to leave immediately. That's when I begged him to let me bring Nanny and then the Headman came into the rooms and said that he'd make a gift of the mule to me as reparations. I thought he meant that because I'd almost gotten hurt ... but ..."

The Sheriff was scribbling notes to himself and I waited for him to bring up the next point. He looked up and sighed. "They know who you are."

"Who? The people at the market? Well, it is no great secret."

"No, it isn't. So when the man took you he had to know who you were and the likely consequences of what taking you would be."

"He was trying to instigate an incident?"

"No, he apparently is trying to prevent one though I'm not sure I understand the logic and what he is trying to prevent is ..."

"What?"

"Apparently certain ... people or groups ... do not want you to be a wife to The Linder. There is some harem-scarem ghost story that a Linder/Harper progeny will bring about the end of the world."

I nearly strangled on the sip of cold tea I had just taken. "I ... I beg your pardon?"

"Yes I know it sounds like a fairy story or a nightmare story but apparently they really do believe that The Linder and a Harper will come together and give birth to a monster that will swallow their people. Do you know the history of your family?"

"Of course. But ... but I'm the last Harper and ... and ... well I didn't have any children with The Linder ... I mean that Linder ... I mean my husband."

"You were correct when you said that Linder. Apparently they think Tomas is looking to make you a second wife."

I nearly passed out at the very idea.


	55. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"Head between your knees. That's a good girl."

I slapped his hand away angrily. "I am not a child."

Soothingly as if he was speaking to someone of only half intelligence he responded, "No you are not so stop slapping at me like one. Now breathe. The color blue does not go well on your skin." After a moment and a good swipe with a cold cloth on the back of my neck the Sheriff asked me, "Better?"

"No," I told him still angry. "But I suppose I am feeling less likely of making a fool of myself."

Brushing a stray lock from my face which had escaped my snood he said, "You did not make a fool of yourself. You ... listen Leeda, I don't know precisely what is going on in that head of yours but I promise you one thing, you need to get that particular worry out of it. Tomas is many things, and yes he is not above using people for his own ends, none of us are I suppose, but he loves his wife and contracted a monogamous marriage. He will not take another wife. Period. And of the things that Tomas is, he is stubbornly determined to keep his word in all things. Do you understand? He's already slapped down several people that have mentioned the Old Law that would give him leave to ... to ..."

My stomach twitched and I had to grit my teeth. "Good. Because if he even raises the idea I'll vomit on him."

"Glad to hear it," the Sheriff said with a lopsided grin, surprising me. "Would serve him right. Though if ... if we ever ... er ... find the opportunity to have a proper discussion on what neither one of us is currently willing to discuss then perhaps ..."

I turned my face away into shadow so he could not see how red it felt. "It ... that particular issue ... well I won't puke on you if that is what you are wondering. It's the other that I'm worried about with you. Now may we please continue?"

"I would if there was any more to continue with. That is the sum total of what I have at this time. What I was hoping was that you could add something to this."

"Me?"

"Yes. Your family history. It is ... murky."

"Well yes, I suppose it is if you are talking about our beginnings."

"And you're sure you know the family history?"

"Even if I hadn't been taught it at my father's knee, Nat would have told me afterwards at some point. He ... let us say he always has credited me with more sense and intelligence than anyone else."

"All right then. Assume I know nothing of your family. How would you introduce me to them?"

"Honestly? I would likely only mention to my grandfather's generation."

"Are you sure? You mentioned to me that the Harper family once held the seat that the Waverly family does now."

"But only after context was established. By and large it has absolutely nothing to do with who the Harpers became, at least not in any obvious sense. My great grandfather was a very young man when his father died and he decided to turn the mayoralship over to his father's friend since he really had neither the desire nor the talent to take the status and duties that came with it. Great grandfather's name was Hartzell which was his mother's maiden name. Her family name died out as there were nothing but daughters; but each daughter named a son Hartzell so it is now a common given name."

"You are ... er ... inordinately attached to your genealogies."

I shrugged. "It is the regional past time for our entire society to an extent. Both the biological component as well as the anthropological components. You can inherit status through birth lines. You have to be careful not to overlook possible corruption in birth lines. Two corrupted lines can intermarry so long as they don't share the same corruption ... though there is that rare occasion when certain corruptions actually magnify the other. The knowledge of genealogies is a kind of ... of power I suppose as it gives you hints on who will align together on an issue and who wouldn't spit on someone even if they were on fire. On the other hand, there are ... we'll call them breaks ... where a family, or branch of a family, takes on a completely different direction which can confuse it all. Then there are the social and medical issues that further complicate the citizen rolls."

Rather than his eyes being glazed over as I expected at such a lecture he was sharply focused and intent. "Nat's Order doesn't just deal with ancient texts but with the history of Tentuckia as a whole is that right?"

"Actually it goes further than that. Because of his facility with languages, Nat's specialty is translating old texts. His intelligence is such that not only can he translate and repeat what he reads verbatim, he can interpret the texts so that the words have meaning for our modern society despite often referring to ancient items and concepts most would not understand or recognize. It is one of the talents that helped him to get into the Order's special training program. However there are other branches of the Order that are further specialized ... some on technical manuals, some on anthropological issues, some on architectural issues. The list is almost infinite, and some are quite narrow in focus, but one of the most specialized branches within the Order, maintains the geno-medico data from today back to what is still available from prior to the Days of Destruction."

"I thought the Geno-Medico Texts were strictly regulated by the Great Council."

"Access to the original texts is. The original texts are reportedly held in some vault deep within an earthen complex far underground and only accessible by a special lift device. The old stairway collapsed years ago according to Nat but was once called the Stairway to Hell though the terminology is quite anachronistic. Until about a hundred years ago access to such data could only be obtained ... for a price. After the Convention of Health that branch of Nat's Order took over the stewardship of the information within those texts, though not of the original texts themselves. Their first order of business was to check the veracity of those documents and whether or not they were originals or ... let us call it manufactured for some purpose beyond a time period when they could rightly be called valid. That part alone took over fifty years to complete."

"Leeda, why are you avoiding it?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know what I'm saying."

I sighed. "I am not ... avoiding it exactly. I know it is my family's history but in all honesty I simply do not identify with it. But if you insist on a recounting I will do so. "


	56. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

"Prior to the Days of Destruction there was a man by the name of Solomon Harper. Back in that time period the educational system and methods of training were quite different and less balanced than we have today, nevertheless he was a learned man, had accumulated wealth from his knowledge, and as proof of how knowledgeable he was he had obtained several training degrees and was called a doctor though he was a different kind of doctor than Dr. Cummins. Solomon Harper was a doctor of knowledge and science, of the forbidden art of intentional human genetic manipulation. They called it by various names in the ancient days but the goal was still the same. He and his colleagues took the building blocks of the physical human at the microscopic level and manipulated them to perfect the human species."

"Now there were those in our family that claimed that his specialty was for the good of humanity in that it was about curing diseases through genetic manipulation and repair rather than creating them but in all honesty no one can say for sure. The truth of it is lost to the ages. What is known is that because of his status and training he had access to storehouses of knowledge. This was in book form and in the form of other learned people. He was also brilliant himself and it is said he could make leaps of logic that helped him see over, through, and around issues that took others much longer to do."

The Sheriff snorted. "Sounds like someone else I know."

"What? Oh ... do not be ridiculous. I am simply well-trained. And if you do have a high opinion of my intelligence you should thank Nat. He is the best teacher I ever had and that includes all those that I was taught by in the college and by the Brothers and Sisters of the church where Nat would often take me when I ... well ... when I jumped faster than the college could prepare material for me to consume. That is where I met Sister Evelyn and it was she who channeled my energies into something productive and constructive rather than have it bouncing all over like it did in the beginning."

"Very well," the Sheriff said. "I have the whole lot of them to thank for teaching you to give me a headache. I'll be sure and send notes around during New Year Celebration. Now focus. My head cannot handle as many rabbit trails as yours seems to travel down."

Shaking my head I told him, "I'm not sure what you want this story for but I'll continue as you wish. Just stop giving me rabbit trails to follow." He snorted but was quiet and I continued. "So, as I was saying, Solomon Harper had access to a great many assets of knowledge as well as other resources and the picture he put together from what he learned disturbed him enough that he sought to begin the process of separating himself from his society."

"To start he bought a large tract of land and built a fine home upon it. That land is now included inside the boundaries of the town of Harper and the home became the Mayoral Manor. The home itself, even in the beginning, was unlike most homes of the time and more like what we see in our modern era ... though it also had the nature of the ancients of the ancients that were called castles. It was a place purposefully designed for security and for sustainability of a large group of people. But Solomon Harper had no family to share his home with."

"The story goes that he secretly tested many females to find the ones most biologically compatible with him - remember that was part of his trade - and from those candidates he then winnowed the group down by physical, mental, and emotional compatibility. His first two attempts at marriage however were abysmal failures, all three children from these two unions had behavioral issues as well as some latent health problems, and in fact the failures did put all of his other plans in danger."

"Left with less than half the fortune he had once had, despite additional income from new patents and such like, he suffered a depression that was only helped after he received counseling from a local ... well it was called a church in that era but was dissimilar to what we call the church today. Upon reflection Solomon decided to add the component of spiritual compatibility and amazingly the marriage with his third wife was successful beyond his wildest expectations. He came to realize that biological compatibility was only part of the issue for humans. This realization also changed the focus of his work and made him look at not just what we call today the physio-environmental impacts on genetics but non-physio environmental impacts. He and a few colleagues interested in the same issues were eventually able to chart the genetic impacts that emotions and other external stimuli had upon begatting and begats."

"With the success of his third marriage he began looking around for more people that shared his philosophy and found a few that remained lifelong confidants ... a man by the John Waverly was one such. The uncle of his third wife - a man by the name of Benjamin Linder who was some type of politician like the family is even today - turned out to be another. His research and community building experiment was interrupted by a severe economic decline which led up to and at least partially caused the econo-religious global war that started the Days of Destruction and the Chaos that came after it."

While scribbling notes the Sheriff said, "Are you saying the Harpers and Linders are connected?"

"Back then, but only by marriage and some philosophical elements."

"But still ..."

"But still nothing. By the time the Chaos had come to a complete cessation - a generation away from Solomon Harper and Benjamin Linder - both men had died. In all the generations since the two families never reconnected ... at least not until my marriage and there was no fruit from it."

Both of us avoided comment on my last point and the Sheriff instead said, "There's all sorts of legends about the Linders but I don't think I've ever heard about the Harpers."

"And most of those stories you've heard are nothing but legend as far as the early Linder genealogies are concerned. I don't know all of the details ... in fact didn't even know many of the names until I started reading Ceena's volumes on the subject ... but I can tell you absolutely that all you have to do is read the journals and other papers from the era that are in the Linder Library and you find out that it is not nearly as glamorous as some in your family would like others to believe. Most of The Linders since that era have had good intentions and the skill to pull them off but there were a few in there that used their talents for less than their status called for. Not to mention some had so many family and personal problems that nearly everything they tried to build got torn down only to be rebuilt by the next generation."

With only mild curiosity, as if it didn't really matter all that much, the Sheriff asked, "My family is a mess is it?"

Answering him honestly I said, "The earliest generations after the Chaos appear so. But then again, so are many of the first gen individuals born right before and right after the Destruction and Chaos. Then add into it the corruption that began appearing in the progeny of our ancestors and you are left with enough confusion that it is a wonder any truth can be found. But that is what sets those early Harpers off from most of the other families."

"Now we have it."

I nodded. "I suppose this could be what you are looking for. But it is also a potential weapon and probably why most of my ancestors have never bragged of it." Gathering my thoughts I explained. "Solomon Harper did not die during the Destruction and Chaos but it was a close thing. He had been on his way to ... well it is described as some kind of flying machine that transported large numbers of people ..."

"We have those now."

"Not like these. What we have now are mostly gliders or floaters with modest mechanical components to help with steering and forward motion and the largest can carry as many as two dozen people as long as there is no heavy equipment aboard. Back in Solomon Harper's time one of these flying contraptions could carry hundreds of people for thousands of miles without stopping; and the rate of speed at which they traveled far surpasses even our most advanced gas carriages by many velocities. And they were common. In some areas I've read that it was unusual not to see at least one or two in the sky every day. In some places you could see that many and more every hour, at all hours of the day. So long as you could purchase a ticket and show the proper traveling papers you could fly in one unlike today you have to have a certificate of training before you can even request such a transport."

"Amazing."

"Yes, even fantastical but all true. Nat has shown me the remains of advertisements for such travel. They could even travel across the 'Lantic and 'Cific without falling into the water though there are reports that some did due to mechanical failure or being targeted by warships. Toward the end of that era they even had something called trans-global travel using a device called a shuttle that could ferry people around the world in a matter of a few hours from stop to finish."

"But this Solomon was not on one of those contraptions?"


	57. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

"Not on the day that the first of the biological terror attacks took place on this continent. Nearly though, but he was saved by a call from his Spiritual Counselor on a device called a cone or fone or fell or something like that, that caused him to miss getting to his travel conveyance on time."

"Why do I get the feeling that plays a role in the story?"

"Because it does. Solomon Harper had become a spiritual man prior to the Destruction but after that point he bacame very, very spiritual. Some might have called him a zealot and in his later years there are some rumors that he became ... unstable ... but for the most part the family has remained close to the church ever since, even going so far as to send many family members and support the Guard with resources during religious battles that came during the Destruction and Chaos."

"That's not unusual as many did the same thing."

"And many did not. I don't know if you have figured it out or not yet but the Vanburen family did not align with the Church until after the Chaos was over. They've gotten into the habit of trying to ignore or cover up that part of their family history and it sometimes causes some to ... let us say handling things in history you'd rather ignore sometimes causes people to express their religion in less than constructive ways. During the Destruction and Chaos years the family is report to have tried to maintain a neutrality that was often destructive to everyone but their own interests. They've been faithful since then to my knowledge and trying to make one generation culpable for what a preceding generation did bears no fruit so I do not hold what their ancestors did against the current generation."

"No, but it does make one leery of their intentions."

"Perhaps but I've no personal knowledge that they are anything other than what they portray themselves to be which is mostly just supercilious and overly proud of their accomplishments."

With a brief chuckle the Sheriff said, "Hah! That's a description I'll have to remember 'cause if fits a few of them like a glove."

I nodded. "I don't know much about the Linders of that era, even with Ceena's volumes to aid me I've just never felt the driving need to delve into it even if I had the time - which I don't - but the Harpers are another matter. Solomon Harper was a geneticist. While forbidden now in terms of intentionally trying to do this at the cellular level - you ... you know what I'm talking about?"

"Yes, I'm not a complete ignoramus even if science was not heavily included in my training."

"I ... I'm sorry. I did not mean ... Nat always warned me that I could sound ..."

He laid his hand upon mine for a brief moment. "Leeda, stop apologizing. It is my shortcoming not yours. I pretty much despised being confined indoors when I was a boy and played hard to find no matter how many times Father tried to lock me in the damn lesson room. It wasn't until I entered the Guards that I actually saw how the use of the natural and mechanical sciences would even play a role in my life. I've tried to catch up as I could but there are obviously still gaps in my knowledge ... but I do know the basics."

Smiling in gratitude that he wasn't ringing my head for being a know-it-all prig I said, "Well compared to what Solomon Harper and his colleagues knew all even our most learned scientists know are the basics. We also did not have the equipment that he had access to that he kept operational as long as he could which was up until about the time of his death which is another family story. But early on Solomon still had access to information most others did not ... such as the various biological weapons that were being used around the world, the weather charts to plot the drift of such particles in the air and research that was done early on about how the biologicals and other weapons combined to create unexpected mutations that eventually and continue to transform into our modern day plagues."

"When the Destruction began to approach its worst, Solomon gathered as many of those he considered 'his people' that would listen to him, they removed from the surface and lived underground in a complex of man-made caverns and storerooms. They were underground for well over a year and several after that they only went to the surface rarely and only those that were finished with their seasons of begatting. It was very controversial and there were too often battles with people from above ground that were jealous."

"This went on how long?" the Sheriff asked in surprise.

"Family history doesn't say specifically. Most of the papers from that time have been lost except for the occasional scrap here and there. But it lasted until after Solomon Harper's third wife died - she was in her 40s and some kind of maternal complication arose after she'd given birth to her last child - and he'd married another woman who had been his brother's wife and had wanted another child as all of hers had died early in the war. At his death he was a rarity of the time, a healthy man who lived into his 80s which was at least a decade or two after they returned above ground full time. During this part of the Chaos small city-states began to form and Harper became one of them, and one of the more influential of the era because we had grain and other fruits and vegetables that were unaffected by the biologicals prevalent then. Down in the caverns they continued to grow seeds so that if a season came that the plants were affected they could be razed to the ground and then replanted the next season. I still have in my possession seeds which descend from those original crops."

The Sheriff nodded, "That's what Turner Waverly said. He told me that the Great Council and the Church also keeps like treasures of those seeds."

"Yes. The Great Council now allows some hybridization but only if the original seed inventory remains viable and above a certain level based on census numbers. You know the penalty for anyone caught hybridizing without a license or when the heirloom seed inventory has fallen below legal limits."

"I saw a man hung for it. He was out for profit pure and simple, not to mention the resulting crops were sterile. Those for whom it was strictly accidental, it does happen in nature occasionally, usually are subject to a legal case to determine their culpability."

I nodded. "Food was serious business following the Chaos and remains so today. But it isn't just the genetics and viability of the plants that were important, so was the viability of the humans of that era. And that is where the Harpers differ from many other families though I'm told there are one or two such families in all of the regions - whether through intent or accident - and it appears from what we've learned that the issue is also on the minds of some of those which reside in the Borderlands."


	58. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

"How did the Harpers differ?"

"Solomon Harper made it a campaign to maintain the purity of our genetic ... let's call it our area's human genetic inventory ... with the same relentless vigor that he sought to maintain the inventory of heirloom seeds. He considered both a sacred duty and it was that issue that began to create tensions. He strictly controlled who his children could and could not begat with. Even if they married for emotional or spiritual reasons, if there was a strong likelihood of corruption the begatting in the union was forbidden ... or the couple was given the opportunity to leave the community for areas that would be more lenient."

"That sounds ..." the Sheriff shook his head. "That sounds suspiciously like genetic engineering. I mean I realize families still do it - look at what we are discovering as we investigate this mess before us - but to do it so blatantly ... The Great Council would denounce an entire clan for that type of behavior and might even remove their status. There's strict guidelines on how far that type of thinking can be taken. No one wants a repeat of the era of persecution that existed following the Chaos."

"Yes and that is why my family did not bandy it about."

"I'm curious, did all of Solomon's children abide by their father's dictate?"

I gave a cynical bark of laughter. "Of course not. The Harpers are strong-willed by nature ..." He gave his own bark of laughter at my words. I nodded accepting his mild humor at my expense and explained, "There weren't many as strong-willed as Solomon but there were a few that went so far as to try and wrest control of the Harper compound from him. His progeny or not, some paid with their lives and some were exiled and what happened to them has been lost to history. There were enough children however that remained that the viability of the family was established through two succeeding generations and by the time Solomon was in his 80s and saw his great and great great grandchildren live to be viable that the family was remarkable for the fact when so many other could barely claim two generations living during the same decade."

"But that doesn't mean that trouble didn't occasionally crop up. There was a grandson that did not agree with the way Harper was being run, was jealous of his cousins as well, and he allied himself with an outside group - the name of which was never discovered or has been lost - and that is how Solomon died. He had continued to maintain his pre-Destruction labs as much as possible to continue discovering what he could about the various biologicals we had inherited from the war and the years following it. Even the greatest of the man's admirers called it an expensive obsession. He spent most of his time in those labs underground and someone sabotaged the gas lines that helped to power the complex of tunnels and caverns. During the rescue attempt they'd get a few feet only to cause more cave-ins. Then the winter after the rescue was called off there was a hard rain followed by a sudden freeze and the next thaw the ground above the main complex developed a sinkhole that eventually encompassed almost three square acres. It took more than a decade for the ground in that area to stabilize as it swallowed more and more land. Then the year my great great grandfather died - in fact it took his life - there was a huge landslide and the sinkhole collapsed on itself taking several men in the Harper family to their graves."

The Sheriff asked, "This is why your great grandfather gave up the Mayorship."

"Not really. It was mostly an excuse. He'd never expected to inherit and didn't want it. It was a bit of a scandal at the time but the transition was smooth because the Waverly at the time worked with the citizens of Harper and the Mayor's Council to make it so. And it didn't hurt that Harper needed a Woodsman at the time to replace the Guild family that had died during an epidemic the year before."

The Sheriff scratched the stubble on his chin. "In all of your family's history you've never heard of a story or legend of some kind of ..."

"Devil resulting from a Linder/Harper begat? No. Never. I suppose I can write and ask Nat but, it would have to be pretty ancient a story. But if anyone knows he would. Although I'm pretty sure that he would have mentioned it upon the occasion of my marriage. I'll pen the letter tonight."

"No," the Sheriff said. "I'll go ask him myself. I've another important matter I wish to discuss with him anyway."

The look he gave me left me in no doubt what he referred to.


	59. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

"Tell me again why I must suffer through this?" I asked April and Nancee as I was being pinched and prodded.

April snorted, "Mostly because I have to."

Nancee gave an unladylike laugh. Mrs. Linder however was not amused. "Really Widow ... and you too April ... the two of you go about in the most ... most ... well ... casual of dress. And while I understand it suits your daytime duties to do so it simply cannot be so when we give this Neighborhood Gala with so many from around the Region attending."

"Mrs. Linder ... really ... as a Widow it is not even proper that I ..."

April interrupted, "Oh no. Everyone knows you only wear that black out of some sense of duty and that by now you should even be out of the half-mourning stipulated in your husband's will. Do you know how many questions I have to field about where 'the little widow' is and when is she going to come out? So if I have to go to this circus then you have to go. We can escape together after we've put in an appearance and then go keep the old ladies company in the vestibule or something."

Rather more forcefully than necessary, showing that she was reaching the end of her patience with the both of us Mrs. Linder said, "Oh no you won't escape. If I have to go then the two of you have to go ... I ... I mean ..."

My look of surprise must have been something to behold because suddenly Mrs. Linder giggled. She actually giggled and then blushed. "Yes, yes, I know. My husband tells me that I can come off as an unbearable prig but the truth is you do not know how much help the two you have been in making this whole transition so much easier. I can actually sleep at night and I'm not forever vomiting acid into the azalea bushes. And I don't have very many ways to show how much I appreciate it. I just want you to have a bit of company and relaxation." She further surprised me when she became a bit weepy.

And then April astounded me by going over and hugging her sister in law revealing that perhaps the family was much closer than my casual observation of them. "There now, no need to blow our heads up so large we can't leave the room. I suppose if you must suffer the slings and arrows then we can support you by taking a few for the cause. But really, no matchmaking."

The hideous possibility caused me to shudder and mutter, "Saints no." I hadn't meant to be heard but apparently all of the Linder women did as did the seamstress who had to spit out the mouthful of pins she had or risk swallowing them.

"Oh dear," I sighed. "I had not meant to say that aloud."

There were chuckles all around then Mrs. Linder sighed and said, "Not even a little matchmaking?"

April and I both said, "No" at the same time.

Nancee was not so definite but April shook her head at her apparently interested look. "You are too young."

"I'm not looking for marriage yet but a little fun might be nice."

"That kind of fun," I warned her. "Can be dangerous. Let the others be your guide. Some of the young men around here have hay for brains after they've gotten a glass of punch or two in their system."

Now it was Mrs. Linder's turn to say, "Oh dear."

I looked at her and said, "Keep their mothers and grandmothers in full view and guards on the pathways to keep the more ... er ... adventurous from roaming where it isn't wise. I'll speak to Mr. Holman so that the most trustworthy staff are given the responsibility of the usual suspect places like the larder, the wine cellars, the stable and the above and below stairs that should be off limits. Most have manners but there are a few that can't seem but portray themselves as dung for brains ... pardon the unusually strong speech. You should really speak to Ronald Nealy ... or have someone else do it ... and have him make sure that Senior Guardsmen make themselves visible - but not obtrusive - throughout the grounds. I'd make sure the Commander and his wife are on the guest list and in attendance as well, that will curb any ... frivolity from the Guard element that aren't on duty."

Mrs. Linder nodded. "Yes." She was rapidly added notes to a clip board that sat on a small table beside her, then looked back at me. "Are you sure you won't forego the black for indigo or gray?"

"No," I told her for nearly the dozenth time. "While I won't argue the point that technically I could get away with it without shocking anyone, I do not wish the talk that such a choice would arouse. By staying in black it allows me some ... latitude that other colors would not. At least now I don't have to worry that someone is scheming to set me down so that their daughter's status isn't overshadowed or worry that their son might get ideas where none should be."

Shaking her head Mrs. Linder opined, "You are far too cynical for your age."

"Age has nothing to do with it," I responded. "I simply know the company that will be around. Hay for brains is actually kind compared to how some of them have been known to behave."

"Really Widow," Mrs. Linder sighed. "I haven't met anyone that has acted in such a manner."

"I should hope not. Even those with hay for brains aren't complete idiots; and if they are, their families have set keepers over them. The Linder would stomp them flat if they were anything less than respectful in your presence."

Nancee asked, "But ... but you were the wife of The Linder too. Didn't they treat you nicely then? Or are you just afraid that they'll treat you differently now?"

I glanced at April and Mrs. Linder before answering carefully, unsure what she had heard or thought she knew. "My situation was different Nancee. I was only fourteen when I came to be a wife. I was also a third wife behind two ... very influential sister wives."

She asked, "They were mean to you?"

I felt uncomfortable and wasn't sure how to proceed. The other two women gave me no guidance as they too seemed curious but with staff in the room I didn't think it wise to be completely honest. "Nancee all I can say is that my situation was different than what you will likely face when you take a husband. The Linder I was married to was older and had a great many responsibilities and not much spare time to ... to guide me through the life I suddenly found myself living. I'm not someone he even sought but was rather ... well ... part of a package like a ... like a treaty bonus I suppose you might say. Widows Ceena and Tonya already had an established place in the society of Little Linderton and the surrounding area. When I arrived here at Linderhall I had nothing in common with my sister wives, including age, so communication was ... poor. I was very blessed to have been taken under the wing of the staff here and it gave me a purpose I needed very badly."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you need a purpose badly?"

Floundering somewhat I tried to explain that, "Everyone needs a compass, a purpose, that helps them to keep moving forward and in the right direction. I don't feel that I can really explain certain aspects as ... as frankly they are uncomfortable; but, what I will say is that while I gained a great deal of status when I came to live at Linderhall, it came at a price. I lost the daily contact with my only living relative, one who had cared for me like he was closer than a brother. In fact I lost contact with almost everyone that I had once thought of as friends. I lost my opportunity to finish my education. And ... and in a very real sense I ... I lost my childhood." I tried to think what words to use that someone wouldn't find offensive, that told enough of the truth without revealing too much of it. "I was alone Nancee. Very alone. And vulnerable. The Linderhall staff ... well they became a family for me. They offered me guidance so that I could be the best I could and meet the challenges that my status brought with it. And they did it because they cared, something else I desperately needed after being taken from Harper."

"But why ..."

I was saved from further questions by the arrival of the sister called Chell. I had not been introduced to her before this time and while I had been expecting someone like April I got something totally different. She was very polished, very proper, and very dismissive.


	60. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

After a few moments I quietly tried to escape but Chell, by accident or design - probably by design if my instincts are correct - chose that moment to notice me.

"You are leaving? So soon? Oh dear, perhaps I should have paid more attention to you? How am I to get to know you now?" Having experienced the treatment before and not caring for it very much I sighed and prepared for political battle.

Shaking my head I told her, "You do it well - you're obviously practiced - but not quite as well as my sister wives did it. I had wondered where I had heard your husband's name before as Corvot is not common and just this morning realized he was a frequent visitor here at Linderhall. I assume he has risen in status beyond the Great Council errand boy. And I suppose Ceena and Tonya filled his ears with their cries of distress. I mean obviously a fourteen year old child was just a terror to two experienced and statused women over twice her age. Which story did they tell the most often? When I irritated them by nearly getting killed in the shifting sands of Paduck? That was while I was on an errand Ceena sent me on because she'd left her favorite fan on the beach. Or, perhaps it was that I embarrassed them by preferring the company of the Below Stairs staff? Yes, that was a hideous crime to those two despite the fact that they all but drove me to it simply to survive since they could never be bothered to offer me any guidance despite my youth and origins. Did you know that our husband had to hire a comportment teacher for me because those two couldn't be bothered to lift a hand to guide me? And then screamed like a couple of harpies claiming I was getting more attention than was my due?"

Her mouth fell open at the fact that I'd attacked so quickly and directly. I finished by saying, "Be careful Mrs. Corvot, the stories you hear may be more fiction than fact. I would have thought that having as many years of practice in the Great Council circles would have taught you that."

I prepared to sail from the room only was interrupted by April and Nancee's gales of laughter. I sighed and asked, "Exactly what hilarity is this?"

Nancee continued to laugh until she sat upon a pin holding a ruffle on the dress where it was being basted. April finally brought herself under control without the use of pain induction. "Oh Chellie ... you have to admit she fired a bull's-eye."

"Humph."

"Aw, poor baby, get your feelings hurt? Daren did warn you."

I crossed my arms and glared. "And exactly what did he warn her of?"

April started laughing again and a giggle was once again surprised out of Mrs. Linder. "Gonna roast him for interference?"

"If not for that likely something else," I replied honestly. "He is forever underfoot whether he is actually around or not."

April looked at Chell and winked. "Told you she could keep him in line. I've never seen him so interested before."

I rolled my eyes. "None of that. The Sheriff isn't even here to defend himself." I turned to Mrs. Linder and said, "Thank you kindly. I know I'm not much to work with but I will do my best not to be an embarrassment but please ... no matchmaking." I shuddered and felt a little ill. "And now I must be off. I have several meetings to be sure that all your wishes are followed. And please do consider what I suggested as far as speaking with Guard Nealy and placement of a few extras around about the place. There was always one or two guests that seemed to get lost during Ceena and Tonya's festivals."

This time I did leave the room and quickly descended to the lower levels. I was not certain that I cared for the other Linder sister. I certainly was not ready to trust her or her husband, especially not after finally remembering where I'd heard of the man. He was a particular friend of Ceena's; she seemed to draw the younger men intentionally. I didn't want to consider the potential for mischief those memories had - especially the one where I accidentally saw him leaving Ceena's sitting room during a time of night he had no business being there - and needed to keep some space between myself and Chell lest I give my thoughts away. It could have been something political between Ceena and Chell Corvot's husband but I was in no mood to ruminate on it and guess.

I spent the remainder of the day going over supplies with Mrs. Cooksey, sending a note to Ronald Nealy to expect a call from someone look for extra Guards, meeting with Marta though more to socialize than to get assistance on the planning as it was a bad day for her memory-wise, and several other senior staff to make sure that security and access was even tighter than it had been during my husband's tenure as Guardian.

I was ticking off all that I had completed from my list when a courier handed me a note from the Chancellor asking me to come to his office. Luckily I was between meetings and hurried off to see what he wanted.

I didn't even have to knock as he was just showing someone else out. He said, "Well, that was fast."

"Am I intruding?"

"Not at all," he said. "I was the one that asked you to stop by. Do you have a moment?"

"Yes. I'm between appointments."

"Good, good. Look," he said after drawing me into the office and shutting the door. "I've heard from Daren and he says he won't make it back for the Gala."

"And?"

"I thought you might be upset."

Shaking my head I said, "Chancellor, I am not a child and the Sheriff is a busy man with a great many responsibilities. I have no idea why everyone suddenly is expecting him to wait upon me."

"Well, Daren gave the impression that ..."

I arched a look at him as he petered to silence. "You're fishing. And doing a poor job at it I might add. Stop picking at the man. He's perfectly capable of running his own life. As am I."

He tried to look cut up and stiff but it only lasted a few seconds before he smiled. "Oh very well. But you cannot fault me for trying. Why all the secrecy?"

"There is no secrecy Chancellor. I am a widow of less than a year." Frowning I added, "And frankly I'm ... I'm not saying never but ... but it isn't the most appropriate or sensible course for me to take to suddenly throw caution to the wind and act like a giddy school girl. Those days never were and never will be ... not for me. I'm more than surprised that your family would even support ..." I stopped, shaking my head. "This is ridiculous. I'm a widow ... The Widow ... much like you are The Chancellor and your brothers are The Linder and The Sheriff. We each have our roles to play and that should be more than enough to deal with during the day. Was there anything else?"

"Actually yes. Tomas mentioned that you were concerned about guests roaming where they shouldn't. Care to elaborate or give specific names?"

"No, I don't. For all I know the ones that did it previously aren't the ones that will do it this time. It is simply my experience that some young men - and young women for that matter - will use any excuse to test the boundaries placed upon them. There are a few of the adults in the area that have been known to do the same. Being in Linderhall is a bit like a carnival for some people and for others it is like being in a court room. Some play to get attention and some pray to be ignored. Rather than singling anyone out I would make sure that all due precautions were taken so that anyone with sense will think twice before taking ill-advised actions."

He nodded. "We will be locking ..."

I put up a hand. "No. Don't tell me. Why you seem to think ..."

"You already know all the hidey spots anyway."

"Who says that I do? Perhaps I don't. Either way you are granting me more status than you should. Let us keep this simple Chancellor. I am The Widow. While I know some things that doesn't mean that I any longer have the right to exercise that knowledge. And in fact it is my duty - and honor - to keep my mouth shut."

He gave a twisted smile. "Is that a nice way of telling me to shut up about private matters?"

"I would not go that far but it is strange that you would so freely share such information with anyone, least of all me. So that means either I've misjudged you or you are playing a deeper game than I'm interested in investing time in. Either way ... I'm backing off the playing board as the stakes are too rich for me."

There was clapping from an adjoining room and the Linder came through the door. "Very good. Very, very good. Not only refuse to take the bait, throw the bait back at the fisherman."

There was a man with him that I recognized as Mr. Corvot. Not certain what was going on I simply stood there and gave them blank face.

Mr. Corvot flared his nostrils and said peevishly. "You're improved since I was here last."

I shrugged, unwilling to be drawn in.


	61. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Benjamin Corvot was an older version of his posey brother with the clothes fetish. He was heavier than I remembered him being and had an odd glint in his eyes that I did not like. All in all he had the look of a man that was not getting out of life what he expected or felt was due.

The Linder looked between the two of us. "Widow, you know my brother in law?"

Turning to him to answer, I included the Chancellor in my glance. "He visited frequently here at Linderhall. Usually he and Ceena spent a good deal of time together and I was expected to be elsewhere."

Benjamin Corvot snapped, "A damned lie."

His response was far more vigorous than was wise as it made him look guilty even though I still wasn't prepared to say with one hundred percent certainty that he was. It also drew looks from The Linder and the Chancellor.

In an attempt to calm the potential volatility that I felt I replied mildly, "Perhaps you simply do not have all of the facts Mr. Corvot but I assure you, neither Ceena nor Tonya wanted me around when they were entertaining privately."

The Chancellor said, "Privately?"

"Yes. Ceena often had guests when our husband was otherwise occupied. You have their calendars, and I'm sure Mr. Tosh or Mr. Holman can produce the Hall's guest log, so you can check the accuracy of my statement against the existing documentation. Certainly the Guard Commander will have the travel logs for those that came and went before, during, and after my time here."

It was quickly covered up but I noticed that Mr. Corvot swallowed while trying not to blink. It was the effort that made it noticeable and according to my comportment teacher that was a sign that a liar was trying to hide their normal non-verbal cues to cover the deception. That strange body language just added to my suspicions as did the way he was unconsciously using one hand to stroke a pocket of his vest. Suddenly I wanted out of that room in the worst way. I turned to the Chancellor. "Was there anything else or are you finished?"

He leaned back against the bookcase and crossed his arms. "You're going to cause problems between Daren and the rest of us aren't you?"

Trying to hold onto my temper I sighed and answered, "That again? Look, for the last time the Sheriff is not a child and neither am I. I have no idea why you think that neither one of us is capable of ordering our own lives. As for the rest of your assumptions they are exactly that. I will not speak for the Sheriff. He is entitled to be treated like a man without the leading strings ..."

Corvot snapped, "What about the ring you've put through his nose ... or through his ..."

While I've been spoken to crudely before I had not been treated in such a way and certainly not in company. I snapped, "What is wrong with you? Are you drunk or drugged?!"

"You trollop. I'll ..."

"ENOUGH!"

The Linder's roar sounded uncomfortably like my husband's but I was a Harper and I refused to go back to the wreck that I was before. I stood straight and tall and refused to drop my eyes no matter how he glared between Corvot and I.

"I will not tolerate this behavior in my house."

The man's arrogance was showing so I reminded him, "This is not 'your' house. This hall, the grounds, and everything in it belongs to the people of Tentuckia. You are the Guardian ... a servant of the people. Not a tyrant or have you changed your mind now that you've gotten a taste for the power you hold?"

Corvot snarled, "See?! I told you. I told you she ..."

The Chancellor said, "Shut up Ben. She's right."

That statement stopped The Linder who stared at his brother in anger. The Chancellor said, "Admit it or not Tomas, she's right so come down off your high horse. This is escalating well beyond what it should have ended at. We got caught out. We played a hand and lost." He then turned on Corvot and said with deceptive mildness, "If you ever speak to, or even in the presence of, Tosha like that I'll beat you and throw you down a well in the Borderlands, cap it, and walk away. You better pray you are gone before Daren gets back or he'll find some very ingenious way to get back at you."

I snapped, "Oh for all the Saints. Will you stop acting like the Sheriff is my protector or keeper?! He's not even here so how will he know about it? I'm certainly not going to bring this ridiculous frackus up. It is quite embarrassing enough without repeating what was said for some blasted deposition that will then need to be duplicated who knows how many times. Will you tell him? I hardly think so because then you'll have to admit you were on a fishing expedition and you know how well that will go over. He says the two of you are better than your father. If you are the man must have been a holy terror with the meddling."

When Benjamin Corvot started making noises reminiscent of barnyard fowl I gave up and picked up my skirts to turn and leave the room. I had taken two steps when a hand on my arm spun me around.

"You were not given leave to exit the room," Benjamin Corvot snarled.

"Get your hand off of me. Now. Or the next deposition the Sheriff will take will be for your inquest."

"You whore."

I stomped his foot finding that he was not nearly as facile at avoiding the move as the Sheriff was. Then I put my elbow into his throat and he fell backwards, gagging. I was ready to draw my fang from its hiding place but there was no need. The Chancellor and The Linder, both with shock on their faces, had put themselves between me and Corvot.

"Are you mad?!" the Chancellor asked his brother in law.

Just to make everyone even happier I told them, "Check his flask. I felt one in his vest pocket."

Corvot immediately slapped his hand protectively over what I'd felt. The Linder looked at me and asked quietly, "Are you injured?"

"No."

He sighed. "I know I ..." He stopped and I momentarily felt sympathy for the man. He was new to being both The Linder and The Guardian. He had no great age or experience beyond following behind his father, a man who sounded much more interested in control than I considered constructive. His mask cracked and I saw the man beneath it. He was struggling with shock and dismay but quickly covered both by drawing his status around him. "I am asking you to say nothing."

After a brief internal struggle I lifted my chin and replied, "Say anything about what? I assume this is a private Linder family matter so I will leave you to it and return to my duties."

I was nearly to the door when for the second time I felt a hand on my arm. I jerked it away and turned looking for a safe haven but The Linder dropped his hand and in a solemn voice he asked, "Easy Widow." I calmed myself and he said almost regretfully, "Daren really is going to explode. Manage him carefully."

Refusing to acknowledge anything I told him, "The Sheriff is not mine to manage and even if he was I wouldn't. He deserves more respect than that."

He looked at me silently and then we both turned to see a struggle start between the Chancellor and Corvot when the man didn't want to give up his flask. The Linder's voice hardened and he told me, "Please go to John's office and ask him to come here ... but to draw as little notice as possible. Tell him I suspect another one. He will know what I mean."

I nodded and finally escaped. For a brief moment I opined over the fact that I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. It reminded me much too much of my first tenure at Linderhall.


	62. Chapter 61

_**Chapter 61**_

"Leeda, will you sit still."

"But Mizz Marta ..."

"Still," she repeated forcefully reminding me of my grandmother when she was trying to put my braids in order.

I sighed and allowed the torture to continue though I did not quite give up the battle. "I honestly fail to see why I must leave off the snood. It was a nice one and I even installed beading on it."

"Two beads Leeda. Two beads does not constitute 'beading'. Now stop fussing and allow Alyce to do your hair. Regardless of what others might think, those of us Below Stairs consider you our representative at the Gala and you have a duty to do us proud. What kind of status would you represent if you did not look your best?"

I muttered, "Botheration."

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I said less than gracefully

For over an hour, an hour I could have used to accomplish other more meaningful tasks, I had been confined to a chair in Mizz Marta's rooms having my hair brushed and tamed. I could have told them at the start it was a monumental task best handled with a whip, chair, and braiding but instead Alyce had set a table full of lotions and potions and had put copious amounts of what felt like muck mixed with oil into my hair to put the frizzy curls in order and make them stay that way. As the muck dried I felt like I was wearing a heavy concrete helmet.

"There Widow, I think that'll stay now."

It was not until that moment that I looked into the peering glass. What I saw startled me so that my mouth fell open in an unladylike gasp.

"You ... you don't care for it?" Alyce asked.

"What? Oh ... that's not it. I just don't look like myself." And I did not.

Mizz Marta snorted. "You look like you should given your status. I believe we all forget too often ... including yourself. Remember Leeda, you must act the part and look the part. The packaging of your status is often more important than most would like to acknowledge. If you wish to be taken seriously ..." She stopped with a grimace.

Alyce and I glanced at each other. Marta's health could be uncertain even on her best days and usually it was closely followed by a period of mild confusion which was true this time as well as she looked around and asked, "Now what was I saying?"

"That I should take myself off and do you proud. And I will as you are undoubtedly needing your rest." I gave her a kiss on the cheek and shared another glance with Alyce to let her know that I'd make sure trays were sent rather than her having to leave Marta's side.

Reluctantly I headed towards the gazebo which was where the family would meet their guests. Nancee bounced up and whispered, "Oh I love what you did with your hair! I didn't realize how ... how much of it there is."

I chuckled. "Yes, there is rather a lot of it isn't there. Usually it has the sense to stay tucked in braids or under other cover but it seemed to want to attend Mrs. Linder's gala the same as the rest of me."

She laughed nervously then gasped when Chell looked at me closely and said, "Well, you've certainly put yourself on the market."

Mildly I told her, "Sorry I look like a prize bit of cattle going to the fair, it wasn't intentional on my part. I didn't want to embarrass the family and allowed someone to tame the mane. I believe they got a little carried away. Hopefully my blacks will be enough to remind people with sense of my status as the Widow Linder. Those without sense will have to simply suffer the consequences when they forget themselves."

The Linder looked at me with an arched brow but I saw Mrs. Linder and April biting their lips as they caught the double meaning of my words. Nancee missed them and only rubbed salt in by saying, "People without sense would be fools to go up against you. I saw you move a crowd of unruly teamsters with only a look that day in Little Linderton. Saints only knows what you could do to someone if you open your mouth."

A man behind me said, "Daren claims she can let blood with her tongue so I'd beware."

We all turned to spot Ronald Nealy stepping forward. He was greeted whole heartedly by the men and then said, "The Commander will be here momentarily so if you don't mind I'll order the lamps rechecked and made ready for lighting right before dusk. I've also put a couple of watchers on the gas lines. Mr. Tosh was kind enough to inform me that three years ago at a similar event there was some hilarity meant to scare the ladies."

I'd heard the story and was glad Mr. Tosh had thought to mention it. Then he surprised me by coming over and bowing. He proffered me a wooden rose painted black before saying, "With Daren's compliments. He said he knew you'd refuse to wear any other color."

I knew regardless of my refusal I was wearing color on my face. The heat coming off my cheeks alone would have wilted a garden of real roses. Trying to keep my voice steady I said, "He did not need to do this."

Ronald Nealy grinned. "He said you'd say that or something similar but he told me to present it in front of the family so you'd have to accept it and wear it. And he says that your cousin sends his felicitations as well and that when he, Daren, returns he has a letter from him for you."

Trying to not make a further scene I took the rose but looked to the ladies helplessly and asked, "What on earth do I do with this?"

Mrs. Linder smiled and said, "Come here and let me pin it on. For once I am glad I forgot to mention something. I had meant to order you some flowers but I believe this suits you much better."

Finally, as the first guests began to arrive I could slip to the back of the crowd and enjoy some anonymity. Or at least that had been the plan. Unfortunately I was thwarted as the Linders presented me and used me as a point of attention so they could observe how others reacted to my attendance.

I had suspected that it would happen and had prepared myself but it didn't make it any easier to tolerate politely as person after person expressed their polite interest while trying to hide their real emotions that ran the gamut from boredom to confusion to disdain. There were a few men whose eyes lingered too long in places they shouldn't have been in the first place. I decided to ignore those that I could and concentrate on helping April shoo the more persistent flies trying to buzz around Nancee.


	63. Chapter 62

_**Chapter 62**_

"Oh, I will never dance again."

"Do not be melodramatic Nancee. You will tire yourself out before the night is over."

Mulishly she said, "I am ready for it to be over now. When you mentioned that some of the young men around here were hay-for-brains you failed to mention that all of the young men around here suffered the condition."

I chuckled. "I assure you, most of them are normally more sensible ... though I must admit I've had conversation with very few for obvious reasons. However I believe you've simply stupefied them. Give them time to get over their awe and their intelligence will increase."

"Saints I hope so. I'm nearly ready to be a Persephone if it means escaping the more persistent of the idiots."

"Nancee!" I exclaimed at her boldness.

"Well ... it's true."

"And close to blasphemy so true or not, do not say it again. There are some very influential families here tonight and being the sister of The Linder will not protect you from censure if enough of them band together."

She shrugged unconcernedly. "Perhaps I am like April and have no desire to marry."

That lady chose that moment to walk into the dressing room and remark, "Nancee it is not that I have no desire to marry. We've had this discussion before."

"Hah! You run off everyone anyone has ever brought forward."

"Not true."

That caught my ear and Nancee looked momentarily penitent. "Well ... almost everyone."

"Now that is true," she said with a smile. "Now let us drop the subject and you tell me what you are doing hiding out here in your petticoats."

"I'm not hiding. I'm waiting for my skirt to be repaired. This is twice ... TWICE ... that my ruffle has been torn. The first time I could pin it but this time it requires basting. I cannot believe what a bunch of toe stompers have asked me to dance."

I glanced at April from the corner of my eye and she nodded. "Seems purposeful does it? Do they offer to escort you off the floor and to the Hall for a repair?"

"Well yes. I suppose they are trying to be polite but ..." She stopped when she looked at her sister and then at me. "Why those good for nothing corrupted dung beetles. They did it on purpose?!"

April nodded. "Sounds like. Any excuse to have some time alone with you."

"They can stuff it sideways."

"Nancee!" I exclaimed shocked once again. While I might have told the Sheriff that once the circumstances were significantly different. Nancee was far bolder than I thought she was and I knew she was going to fall head first into a cauldron of trouble if she didn't reign her tongue in. And while that might be one forest cat with spots and one with stripes I knew how to survive without my status, Nancee did not.

"Oh honestly Widow, you act like such a starchy old lady and we're the same age so stop it."

A staff person knocked bringing Nancee's skirt and I was saved from having to explain to Nancee we may have shared a birth year but we were far from being the same age. April said she'd escort Nancee back and find her a more congenial dance partner but as she was leaving she warned me that Chell was on the warpath for some reason.

"Her husband has taken ill and it appears something contagious as John has forbidden her from seeing him and giving him a piece of her mind for his failure in his duty to provide her escort tonight."

"He's ill?" I said feigning ignorance.

"Don't worry it isn't spots or pox or anything like that so at least we don't have to worry about a plague. And Tomas is being much better about it than I expected because he is normally a wreck when he thinks m' sister in law has been exposed to something. He's not even hovering."

Unbidden the memories of the previous day's events rose in my mind. It had been extremely unpleasant but as always good, hard work allowed me to put my ill temper in perspective. But it didn't stop me from wondering what The Linder had meant by "another one."

I should have kept my mind from wandering. Had I done so I might have been able to avoid running into the three young men. I certainly would have not taken the short cut from the house to the gazebo that traversed a path through some tall shrubbery.


	64. Chapter 63

_**Chapter 63**_

"Well well ... if it isn't the Widow."

All three young men were under twenty and had been into the punch bowl. Their condition shocked me though I shouldn't have been. The brothers of these same young men had been the same way and for all I know were still exhibiting the same behaviors. Either way I tried not to give them any fuel so they'd wander off and leave me be. But as with all troubles, this one refused to pass me by.

One of the other young men leered at me and said, "What? No greeting? You do cut me to the quick Widow."

The tone almost caused me to warn them I hadn't yet but would if they attempted to perform what was obviously on their minds.

The third was less inebriated than the other two but seemed all the meaner for it. "Silent type? Or just a corrupted whore?" He licked his lips in a way that made me ill. "We know all about you you know. Overheard our mothers talking. You're a hot little handful. It's why the old Guardian sent you off, so no one would know that you're the reason he is dead ... killed him in bed you did."

It was too much. It was vomit or laugh. So I laughed and in the process left them in no doubt as to my opinion of them.

I tried to leave but the blocked my passage. I told them coldly, "Do not make this mistake. You will not like the consequences."

"Big talk for someone so small and alone. No one likes you. No one wants you here. You're an accident, never should have happened. And if you think it will be tolerated that you become The Linder's second wife you are mistaken."

The vomit was starting to climb up my throat again. "Your idiocy is showing Arnault Ramsey. So is your lack of logic skills. If my husband died in bed how could he warn anyone off me regardless of who he died in bed with. Two, when he died my husband was surrounded by more physicians than family ... including your own father you twitter patted numbskull so cease your slander. As for the current Guardian, I have no intention of marrying The Linder nor him me. He has a monogamous contract with the current Mrs. Linder and is happy to have it that way."

One of the others snorted, "Yeah, like she's going to survive the birth of the heir. Everyone knows she's going to die."

Becoming angry I snapped, "What utter nonsense."

The third drunk slurred, "Not nonsense. Mother said so. Knows the family and a lot of them kickoff like that."

All I could do was shake my head. "Idiot, childbirth is the leading cause of death for women in every family since the Days of Destruction regardless of status. It is a fact of life we must all live with."

"Die with," one of the young men snorted drunkenly. "Not live, die. Get it?"

"What you've obviously gotten is ill from too much punch or too many drug sticks. Now I am not asking, I am telling you to move and let me pass."

"Make us."

I was debating pulling my fang when the more sober of the three said, "You know, The Linder has so many replaceable females around here why should he miss you?"

Becoming concerned but decided to brave it out as I saw they would not give up. "I don't know. Do you think your Da will miss you when I spill your tripes for offending my honor?"

They tried to make a grab for me and despite the size difference I was able to extricate myself without using lethal force though it did require a few cuts that destroyed the young men's ability to be in company from that point forward as the blood and such would raise too many questions.

One young man in particular held his forehead to try and stop the flow of blood but the X I had carved there. "I'll see you in court you slut." In Harper rapists were branded with an X in the same location so I hoped at least some would see the resulting scar and take it as a warning.

Calmly despite my internal turmoil I told him, "Be my guest. It will be interesting to see if your reputations survive the investigation. Not only will it destroy your honor I'm sure your family will have to worry about their status. Regardless of your opinion of me, the law takes a dim view of acting on those opinions in the way that you have."

Two of the three started sobering up at my words and pulled their mouthier friend away. I hoped it was to stick their heads in a bucket of cold water. They were going to have a time trying to escape the gala unnoticed. Part of me hoped they were able to so that - at least for a while - I could put the whole incident behind me.

I was going to put away my fang but it needed cleaning as did my hands. Plus I was in the middle of the shrubbery and was uncertain whether there were any other gentlemen of like temperament roaming about.

The maze itself had never held any problems for me getting into and out of. I so rarely found myself lost that when I did the sensation was jarring. Fortunately I did not have to deal with that on top of everything else so I stepped deeper into the ill-kept path and headed to the old fountain in one of the maze alcoves.

Once I reached it I was in luck that there was still a trickle of water coming out of the spring fed device. I washed my hands and blade. Then I noticed that the night sounds had become irregular and I turned around with my fang ready for another fight.

A man stood there with his palms raised in out in the universal sign that he was no threat. The problem was just his being where he was created a threat. No Borderlander had been invited to the Gala and certainly not one that looked like he was corrupted.


	65. Chapter 64

_**Chapter 64**_

The man was old, short, and rail thin with a stooped shoulder that spoke of spinal irregularities. The skin on one cheek was rough and scaly from some kind of skin ailment and his hair grew in unnatural swirls on that side of his head.

Trying to remain calm I asked, "What do you want?"

"I want no fight nor nothing like those you just bit with that fang wanted from you."

His voice was a complete contrast to what his appearance should dictate; it was deep and melodious ... and he sounded educated.

"Surprise you?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"That a corrupted figure such as myself should be able to speak in something other than grunts."

I sighed. "My thoughts were not that hurtful but I admit to having an unhealthy stereotype imbedded in my conscious."

He smile was kind. "Honest. Your file reported it and now I've absolute proof. It makes me feel some better at this blasphemy that I am committing."

"A file? And a blasphemy? I admit that I am now curious to your purpose."

"Good," he said nodding. "We do not have much time however so if you will please sit upon yon bench. I am tired, have travelled far, and my bones ache."

"A warning Sir, I will not put away my fang."

"Good. If we are interrupted by certain of my people you will need it."

I had called myself curious but in truth I was well beyond that sentiment but at the same time I was fearful, both of him and of what he might have to say.

When he sat he looked in pain and I could not stop myself at suggesting, "You should put liniment on that."

He grunted. "I shall but not until this is done. And by then I may not need it," he added cryptically.

He looked at me then sighed. "Do I need to explain what you saw when you visited my grandchildren's home?"

"Perhaps not ... if you would tell me who your grandchildren are."

He gave me another twisted smile, this time a sad one. "My grandchildren are legion, unfortunately not so for my great grandchildren. There are some but not many. However the ones that I am referring to are the ones we once thought held the salvation of our people." He snorted and there was a dark undertone as if he was too disappointed to express in mere words.

"Amongst our people my father was a wanderer. He visited many places as a Watcher. On one particular trip he was injured and taken in by a small tribe of people in the far north. The daughter of the headman himself tended him and he was gratefully surprised that he was treated as well as he was. His corruption was even more obvious than mine and even amongst his people he was forbidden to procreate. Then the kindly tribe was attacked by neighboring savages jealous over some hunt or other and my father fought beside them to protect the women and children. Still, most of the tribe died or were taken captive. As the headman lay dying he put his daughter's care and life in my father's hands as he knew they loved one another despite the love being against good sense. He only asked one thing and that was that they would remain pure to prevent being shunned by the world.

"As time and love would have it, despite their vow to remain chaste ... his for his reasons and her for hers ... they did give into their lust of the flesh and eventually produced two sons, both strong and apparently healthy and without corruption. Unfortunately the birth of a third child killed my mother and the daughter she tried to bring forth."

I must have gasped or made some such noise because he said, "Yes, I was one of those fine sons. My father, unable to care for his two sons alone, and convinced his sin of turning from his people was the root cause of the tragedy that befell his family, returned to his people with his stories and a desire to prove his faithfulness so that his sons would have a place in the order of things."

"When he arrived and told his stories it reinforced the belief of his people that if a corrupted could begat with an uncorrupted the corruption would be washed from the blood. This was in direct opposition to his people's religion that the corruption was actually a blessing by their dark god."

"This wave of changing ideas that offered a glimpse at another life, one free of the pain and sorrow that was ever-present in their current one, cause a rebellion to the religious order than in turn caused a civil war, one that I remember well even though I was very young. So many died that blood ran in rivulets on the sand. And eventually some of that blood belonged to my father."

"A splinter group of my father's people escaped to go live in a land free of corruption and to save my life - as my brother and I had been condemned as abominations - I was hidden in the caravan, given to my father's sister as an adoptee. It was many years before my brother and I saw each other again and that only by chance as we'd both taken up working the Great River. We were still both young men and had procreated many times and we put the names together. Most of his children opted to return to our father's people unless they were seeded out to Watcher families meant to keep an eye on people and gather useful information."

"It was about that time that my spine began to mutate. And then a corruption set into a small cut I got shaving which spread from my cheek around to the side of my head. It marked me and no longer was I welcome to procreate and in fact was shunned as my father had been shunned so in error I sought those that my people had once fled from. There are many stories I could tell you but there is not time but I am your sister wive's grandfather."

This time I know I gasped.

"Yes. So, once again I ask do you understand what you saw when you came to my people's home ground."

Carefully I told him, "Not at the time, at least not much of it, but I've put a few particulars together since then."

"Yes. Good. So I can leave off in-depth medical explanations about why some appear corruption free yet still have it deep within them or develop it later in life. The telling of the rest of this will be easier for it."


	66. Chapter 65

_**Chapter 65**_

My head was spinning. Before me sat a man with answers to questions I had never even thought to ask and now that I was faced with them was unsure that I wanted the knowledge.

He did not give me time to answer any questions however and without preamble struck to the heart of what I had only begun to wonder about.

"There are many factions within my people but there are only three main ones that you need to know of. The first and most influential are the Priests of the Damned. They inherited the mantle of those once known as the Darkfriars. The Darkfriars no longer exist but their reputation and beginnings are at the same time reputation and beginnings of our Priests. They are powerful and power hungry. Some are so corrupted in both body and spirit that your people might not even recognize them as human but in fact they are. The Priests are the physical embodiment of the human spirit of humanity."

I shuddered like a goose had crossed my grave.

"In our people's history there is a prophecy that the darkest sect of the Priests believe in and use as the reason why they do much of what they do. According to lore the prophecy was given to the original Darkfriars by a man that was captured by them during the chaos that followed the Days of Destruction. This man, during torture to find out if he was a spy, and with his last breath told the Darkfriars that a descendant of the Linder and Harper lines would wreck his revenge and destroy them by fire, incinerating them all to ash and sending them to hell. That prophecy was inherited by the Priests of the Damned."

I asked, "Why would they inherit a prophecy?"

"Because the Priests took into themselves everything else of the Darkfriars ... knowledge, corruption, flesh, blood, and bone."

"By the martyrs ... are you saying that ... that your priests ... cannibalized the Darkfriars?!"

"Keep your voice down young woman. We do not want attention. But yes, that is what the lore says. We have drawings and writings of antiquity that give enough evidence to support this though you must be a priest to see such things."

"Which means you ..."

"At one time, yes. I was a Priest of the Damned."

"No longer?" I asked trying to remain calm.

"No. No longer. I will explain but you must let me tell it my way."

Upon my nod he continued. "This prophecy was a point of contention during the civil war and resulted in the two other groups I will mention - those that would prevent the prophecy from coming true at all costs and those that wish to bring it on to create a conflagration through which our people could rise once again like the phoenix. You know the bird?"

"I know the mythology."

"In my youth I saw the metal birds that rode the death currents that came off of the hot zones. They were menchanicals left over from the ancients' war machine. Sometimes those birds would fall into a firestorm and just when you think all possibility had been lost, they would rise from the flames to continue their flying and watching, recording the life that wandered and died in such places. But they never died."

"Mechanicals do not live so therefore cannot die."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I am an old man and have seen many things that should not be yet are."

"I'll cede such a point to you as I cannot disprove it."

He looked at me quizzically. "Had my granddaughter cultivated you as were her instructions I believe my life would be quite different now. Perhaps I would not yearn for death to hurry and take me in its grip."

I would have asked a question but he continued speaking preventing me - perhaps intentionally - from getting him to unscramble that puzzle for me.

"Once, the group that wanted to cause the prophecy to happen was very small with little influence. But for the last quarter century they have been ascending in power and are now at a dangerous level of control within the priestly hierarchy."

"Do you belong to this group that seeks destruction?"

"No ... and yes. No for the reasons some of my people seek and yes ... for reasons of my own. It is actually the Phoenix Sect that caused me to doubt my priestly beliefs and look into the true origin of the legend. What I found was the actual origins of my people. And they align very closely with the beginnings of your own."


	67. Chapter 66

_**Chapter 66**_

"Just tell it," I told him with a sigh. "But I respectfully ask that you minimize the drama please. I believe it is going to be hard enough to believe as it is."

He nodded. "You are wise to be skeptical but it took me many years to study these things I am going to tell you. Do not simply discount them out of hand because they frighten or disgust you." After a moment to drink from a flask that left a reddish liquid on his lips he asked, "Do you know of the origins of your people? The Harpers?"

"Yes and it is fresh in my mind as someone else just recently asked for the explanation."

"Ah yes. That would be Daren Linder, the Sheriff of Tentuckia. His file does not lead one to believe that he would have turned into the man he has become. In truth I once suspected he'd be found dead in some barmaid's bed or on the battle field. Something has changed the path he trod. Was it you I wonder?"

"Why would it have been me? I just met the man and he was as he is from the first."

Mysteriously the man said, "You have changed a great many things Leeda Harper Linder. More things than you could ever imagine. You have much to answer for come Judgment Day. Pray that you are not held to account for them or for the actions of your ancestors."

The way the old man spoke made me shiver the way some of the oldest Brothers would sometimes affect me when they spoke of Him Down Below and his minions.

"Your patriarch Solomon Harper, by the time the Destruction came, was a man who was as often mad as he was sane. His treatment of his children from his first marriages is proof of this regardless of what you might have been taught. And how he treated some of his more beloved offspring from his later wives was just as bad. You know these stories?" At my nod he asked, "Do you agree with his actions?"

"I was not there. Few stories of such ancient events are complete truth. What my side believes happened, what your side says happened ... it is in all likelihood a combination of the two that neither side would believe in as completely as their own made up version."

He chuckled though not with humor. "You would have driven your elders as mad as old Solomon had they lived to see who you are today. Do you not believe in absolutes?"

"I believe in my absolutes, but not necessarily anyone else's."

"On aye, definitely driven them mad you would have. As my Ceena and Tonya nearly drove me mad." He shook his head sadly. "But we are not speaking of them yet. First I will bless you with knowledge lost - or perhaps even intentionally forgotten - by all but the oldest Priests of my father's people. That is the origin of our people."

I briefly found it interesting he did not call them his people but did not have a chance to follow that thought as he began imparting his knowledge.

"Solomon Harper's first three children grew to adulthood on an estate bought by their father to house them. Two of the three were eventually successfully healed of their corruptions by surgeries and medications though that in no way made their father any happier with their existence. The third child was helped with copious amounts of medication that left him in a drugged state. Their mothers, brilliant doctors in their own rights, experimented with many natural substances until they found a way to replace the medication that ran out after the Days of Destruction began."

Unfortunately the two mothers and all of the staff died during the Days of Destruction leaving them to, for the first time in their lives, care for themselves. With no guiding hand but their own they threw off the confining mores of a society that had rejected them and acted as they pleased and eventually procreated together. Then during the era of Chaos arrived in their midsts two others claiming they too were rejected children of Solomon Harper. These younger children of Solomon Harper eventually procreated with the children of the older ones. This group was the seed of our people. They had to flee into the wilderness when their home was overrun by soldiers of what would one day morph into the Great Council, clearing out land so that the towns of the region could live in peace. Their peace, but at our price."

"Our people, given no choice, retreated into the wilderness that your people came to call the Borderlands. And that is the beginning of the true corruptions and then how new ones were visited upon us."

I felt cold with shock. Part of me did not want to believe this man and yet another part, the analytical part that sometimes took over allowing me to make those jumps of logic, informed me that nothing the man had said could be outright denied and that I needed more facts before I could truly conclude the story's veracity or not.


	68. Chapter 67

_**Chapter 67**_

"Very well, we are related. It would be unusual I suppose if we were not given the small number of people in any given Region that survived the Days and Destruction and its shadow the Chaos. But the connection is tenuous at best and far into the past. What does it have to do with me now?"

He eyed me like a curious raven. "Cool. Or cold. But certainly not the useless pawn that my granddaughters painted you."

"Ceena and Tonya? They decided to see me one way and refused to see me any other. To the point of making sure I was never capable of being anything other than what they dictated."

He nodded. "Perceptive you are. And you have no idea how against the order of things their actions were."

"They were supposed to kill me?"

"No. The opposite when it was determined there was no way to change the course of things that were coming. They were to cultivate you and bring you over to our side. In fact, after they discovered they were Damned, they were to adopt you and make you a daughter of our people."

I shook my head. "I don't believe it."

"The fact that you don't tells me just how down a corrupted path they walked." I shook my head again but he forestalled my objections. "Ceena and Tonya were thought to be corruption free. My sons showed no physical corruption and neither did their mothers. They were born healthy and should have begat healthy children that could have lived free and normal lives ... and all they had to do was watch and report."

"Watch and report? You did not order them to take a hand in destroying all of our husband's other wives and progeny?"

His face was momentarily blank. "They ... they went that far down the path?"

"If you mean to their own damnation then yes. And the proof is in their own handwriting as they marked the generation and its death in their own journals."

The old man sighed and nodded. "I suspected they had a hand in some. I tried to speak with them that time you came to visit. To correct them back to the true path. But then they tried to kill you; and would have if I had not sent my mule to rescue you. I almost had to reveal myself until I saw the two of you work together to escape the sucking sands."

"You?! You were Nanny's owner?!"

"Hush child. Yes. My nephew thought it a fine joke to present you with the mule when you were forced to leave by your husband. In truth the joke was my own. She knew my scent and it allowed me to get near without your knowledge and watch over you to prevent any more such accidents from occurring. I watched the antics of my granddaughters with disappointment. They had such promise in the beginning."

My mind was swirling. Ceena and Tonya's grandfather. Nanny's owner. And apparently my guardian angel ... a corrupted guardian angel. I nearly allowed a hysterical laugh to take control of me.

I asked, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to believe any of this?"

He snorted. "As difficult as it was for me to believe that my granddaughters and their siblings would jeopardize everything we'd been working for."

That stopped me and I was silent as he continued his story. "Our people have watched the Linders and the Harpers for generations ... and many others for that matter. We ... meddled ... on occasion. Or took advantage of natural events. This was to keep the Harpers and Linders from coming together. And to keep our own interests from being interfered with too much. My granddaughters were given the task of watching The Linder - your husband and the two that came after him."

"Wait. Were they also to keep me from begatting?"

"No. It was a compromise between the two factions. If a child did arise from the union it would be raised as one of our own and rather than a death angel wreaking revenge it might very well be our salvation. A son would eventually inherit and become the Guardian of Tentuckia. A treaty could be signed allowing more of our people to live on this side of the Great River. You see Leeda Harper Linder ... our people are dying. Or should I say they've always been dying but they are now dying in ever greater numbers. Soon, not even procreation by adoption will be enough to keep us together as a viable group."

"Why are you suddenly dying? A plague?"

"Plagues, corruptions, our people refusing to change the way and with whom they begat. All of this and more. Regardless of the root cause the result is still the same. We are dying out as a people. Fewer and fewer children are being born and of those that are too many are corrupted beyond permission to live. My grandchildren were to be the first generation free ... but then I discovered the fools had returned to the old ways."

"Cannibalism?"

"That's one. So is begatting with a close relative which only amplifies the likelihood of corruption. My concerns were silenced by the Priesthood who were happy to have the people once again worshiping the Damned and under their thumbs." He shook his head sadly. "I could have lived with physical corruption. It was the Soul Corruption that I and others could not abide."

"And again I ask, how does that apply to me now and for what reason have you sought me out."

"I had a dream," he said with a shudder. "The voice in this dream filled me with terror."

I was beginning to wonder if the man's sanity was as corrupted as his body.


	69. Chapter 68

_**Chapter 68**_

"A dream?" I asked hesitantly.

Ferociously he snapped, "Do not use that tone with me. I am your elder by blood and by experience and by decades on this hell bound planet. If it were not for me you would be a rotted corpse many times over. I have given up much for you Leeda Harper Linder."

Calmly I told him, "I did not ask it of you so do not blame me for it."

"Blame you? No. I do not blame the wind for blowing; but neither will I simply stand there and be blown upon without seeking to harness the wind to a constructive purpose. Now listen girl, there isn't much time left. You've already been missed and they'll come looking for you. Whether you realize it or not you have power. I've watched you long enough to know you didn't will it or desire it but that doesn't change the fact that you have it in your hands. The future of both our peoples balance on a pin head that you can influence one way or the other. One faction pushes to bring the dark god forth, the other seeks to stop it at all costs that we might yet have a few more years in the light. The methods that both use will only lead to war that may or may not cause their desire to be fulfilled, but it is assured of bringing great suffering for all. You must not let either side use you for their own ends. With your death the prophecy will end. Or with your begatting it could be fulfilled. Somehow, some way you must find a third path and there is almost no time to discern such a direction. I am an old, old man and my time is drawing quickly to a close. I can no longer watch over you. All I can do is warn you. But I will not compromise my soul to do it so all I can offer are clues."

"Wonderful. More puzzles," I said in irritation.

"Hush and do not be such a brat, it ill becomes you and serves you not at all except to bring you and those you care for a painful end. Now listen and listen well girl. There are those that appear as allies who are actually enemies. There are those that appear as enemies that are actually allies. Then there are all those in-between that have been manipulated and are in limbo waiting to be turned one direction or the other, sometimes of their own free will and sometimes not. After my dream I left my priesthood and sat out on a vision quest. To my surprise I had a talk with your God. I wanted Him to be wrong because I did not like what I heard, but nothing I have experienced since has led me to believe it was a lie. I leave here to go into the desert for more enlightenment. I hope at the end of the journey I will find release. But before I can go I must tell you my dream."

"In my dream I saw a great kingdom. Then a terrible sound rose from the streets of the kingdom. Following the sound a great conflagration came down from the sky and rent the kingdom into many parts, great and small. Winding between the pieces was a great serpent who was both beautiful and terrible at turns. Sometimes eating those that came to worship him and sometimes blessing them, none knowing which they would receive."

"This great serpent was strong and won against every foe. It was wise and a seer. None could touch it without finding madness. It did not offer salvation, only favor if you could prove yourself worthy. And it feared nothing, nothing but a great light that sat in the sky over the broken kingdom and all the rest of the world. I did not understand why the serpent was afraid of the light as it did nothing but hang there in the sky. But then I realized the light was blessing all it touched just like the serpent ... but while the blessings of the serpent turned to corruption, the blessings of the light were more gentle; so gentle that the light-blessed often did not even realized they were being blessed."

"Then an anger and jealousy of the light overtook the serpent and it began to gather the broken pieces of the kingdom and those pieces became shadowed and dark. In this shadow the serpent built a den to conceal itself from the light. It did not look like the light noticed that it was losing pieces of the kingdom ... or perhaps it was more true to say that I did not think it cared. After all it was just a light. But a strange thought occurred to me as I watched the serpent and the light."

"The serpent's den lay in a wasteland. The light shined long and hard every day upon day upon day. The light pounded the ground and all it touched. Revenge I thought but that did not feel correct. A voice from out of the sand whispered to me. It said, 'Welcome the light. Without the light all that exists is the darkness and corruption of the serpent. The light wants to give us blessings and call the lost back to the light-lit lands; but the serpent's shadow is so very strong and he has set up so many disciples. The light must shine ever brighter to give hope and to get the notice of those that are so deep in darkness they've lost their sight. It is better to roast the body in the light than it is to freeze the soul in the dark.'"

"I woke from my sleeping alcove in a terror for I knew that the serpent was our dark god and that the corruptions were not blessings at all but suffering to tie us to it so that we would worship at his altar with the terrible pleasures it used to lead us into the dark in the first place. No pleasure was out of bounds if we did it in worship of the dark one - lusts, appetites, giving pain, receiving pain, spilt blood, broken bodies, emotions run amok all from the mad, dark pleasures. Only I had my eyes open by the light and I saw for the first time that the pleasures were not pleasures but chains that only led to more pain ... an eternity of pain and suffering as it is visited upon the generations begat from it."

"I did not know what the light was or where it was or why it was but I knew that I had to seek it out if I did not want to spend my eternity suffering for with the serpent there is never an end to suffering. The promise of eternal pleasuring was a lie. I knew it and knew it was blasphemy to think it but could not unknow it, so I ran trying to hide both from the dark one and the light. But though I escaped the dark, there is no escaping the light and eventually a small ray found me and my knowing became greater. Then it was like my whole body was on fire burning away almost all of the last of the dark chains that held me."

"My journey has been a long one and soon it will end. My ending though is my business, between me and the light and the dark. I have a great deal to answer for and I do not expect my passing from this life to be an easy one. I welcome it and will accept whatever eternity I find. But while I still walk this life I have a duty to try and secure my children's future, guide them away from suffering and corruption. And all that I have left is the knowledge that you are the tool that can bring this about."

There were voices and I turned toward them to see who it might be but the voices moved on without stopping. I turned back to the old man but he was gone, moving more swiftly than I had any reason to believe such an old and corrupted man should move.

I stood up and moved into the shrubbery to sneak back into the Gala and hopefully avoid questions. I had much before me to think about not the least of which was whether I had been given the truth or was being played a theatrical for some purpose.


	70. Chapter 69

_**Chapter 69**_

"Where were you?" April hissed. "I've been stuck doing my duty to these fowl-brained and foul-mouthed juniors for long enough."

I sighed. "Fine. Go. I'll deal with the chicken yard. It cannot possibly irritate me more than I am already. But if you expect me to do it with any grace I suggest you disabuse yourself of the thought."

Her irritation turned to concern. "Are you alright. Now that I've taken the time you look disheveled. And you came from the shrubbery."

"Nothing that I couldn't handle but unless you want to get mixed up in a mess I'd avoid asking me any questions. I won't lie and you may not like the truth."

"That way is it? Well ..."

April was interrupted by a young man looking for Nancee and when he found she was on the dance floor he actually seemed relieved. "Well, then there is no polite excuse for you to turn me down if I ask for a dance is there."

His words caused me to look closer and I saw that the man was not quite so young as he appeared at first glance but was one of those that suffered from a "baby face" that not even facial hair could cure.

April asked, "Do I know you Sir?"

"Of me perhaps though we rarely were in company together. I'm Lodwick's cousin."

Something strange thing came over April. "Lodwick?"

"Aye. Would you dance with me?"

And without a backwards glance April followed the man out into the dancing throng.

"Well, well, well. Now that's interesting. I haven't seen April dance in years. Who is she dancing with?"

Chell Linder Corvot did not look especially sorry that her husband wasn't about but then again I missed the earlier show so perhaps she was simply making the best of it.

I shrugged and told her, "I have no idea. He is likely a connection to one of the local families. I don't know everyone you know."

"My, you don't sound like you are having a very good time," she said with a smirk. "Wish you were dancing too?"

"Saints no," I exclaimed. "I'd rather be trod on by buffalo. I simply have a great deal that I could otherwise be doing if not for having to parade myself around. I should see whether Mrs. Linder needs ..."

"She is out on the floor with Tomas."

"Oh. Perhaps Mrs. Cummins or the Chancellor's wife ..."

"Sorry. They don't need you either. In fact it should be rather obvious by now that no one needs you."

I looked more closely and could see the malice hiding in her eyes. "Good. Then that means that my job here is soon to conclude and I can leave."

Surprised she asked, "You plan on leaving?"

"That was always my plan. Ask the Sheriff. My duty was to help the household regain its footing after the rough start in the transition and to take some of the work off of Mrs. Linder's shoulders until the birth of the heir or earlier if another could take my place. Beyond that nothing."

"You think to take money from the estate to fuel a lifestyle of travel and pleasure?"

I snorted. "What money? I have a stipend and the use of the Dower House while I am here. When I leave I only take what I arrived with, nothing more and nothing less. I certainly do not expect Linderhall to support me for the rest of my life. Given the years that are likely in front of me that would be foolish in the extreme. No, I have some connections that will help me find a situation where I can use my training to best use and support myself."

"Of course you do."

"Believe as you wish."

"Are you telling me you did not tell Tomas to settle a sum on you?"

"I most certainly did not. Are you saying ...? Botheration. All three of them are as meddlesome as a bunch of old biddies cackling and gossiping their way through life. They can take their politicking and stuff it. The Linder and his ever loving duty. The Chancellor and his pigheaded belief in making things right. And the Sheriff for just being a general pain in the backside. Tell all three I do not appreciate them trying to manipulate me and if they do not stop there will be dire consequences because I am in no mood for it. Blast it all. They act like I am an old woman one moment with far too little sense and all of two years old the next with even less. I am perfectly capable of seeing to my own future thank you very much. When I see him next he is going to need Dr. Cummins to straighten the bumps I am going to leave on his skull. I'll ..."

Then Chell did a surprising thing. She started to laugh. "Oh my. Oh ... oh my goodness. Poor Daren."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked in outrage that only caused her to laugh all the harder.

Supper was as miserable as I expected it to be ... at least for me. All I wanted was a quiet place and some quiet moments to think. Instead I was perched upon a dais and on display like some prized pig on parade. My nerves were stretched and raw and when first the supper was over and then the gala itself, I was never so grateful to escape and run to the Dower House. But as soon as I shut the door and through the latch I knew I could not stay there. I had a duty, one I did not want but one I had anyway.

And the Guardian and Chancellor were likely to be less than pleased to be asked to put a hold on their bed. And for the first time I allowed myself to think the thought I'd been holding at bay all evening. I wished desperately for the Sheriff to be underfoot ... but me wishing for something had never accomplished anything. And true it remained as I trudge wearily back to Linderhall.

I was more than half way there when a contingent of Guards found me and said, "Widow, you are ordered to appear before The Linder immediately."


	71. Chapter 70

_**Chapter 70**_

I was surrounded by four Guards. More fool I that I had let my survival instincts down so far as to not even realize the portent of it until the clean-up staff all stopped and stared as I was "escorted" to the Linder's office. When their looks registered so did my position. I'd been raked across the coals more than once in the Linder's office, and by my sister wives, but not even they have ever called me to them using a set of Guards.

I concluded that it was about the three young men and it did not look good. So be it.

I stepped into the office and continued to stand while The Linder dismissed the Guards who seemed reluctant to leave.

As soon as the Guards closed the door The Linder rounded on me and snarled, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

To combat his heat I brought out the calm cold that my comportment teacher had taught me. "Regarding which subject?"

The Chancellor broke in and asked, "You think this is a joke Madam?!"

I looked at him and said, "I think nothing beyond the two of you are obviously exercised about something. It would make these proceedings move more quickly if you or The Linder were to explain yourselves rather than leaving me to guess."

"By the Martyrs you have some nerve Viper. That we would have welcomed you into the family ..."

"Enough. If you wish to castigate me for something, make it for something truthful because we both know that while I am ALREADY a Linder, I certainly would never have been truly welcomed into your branch of the family. Oh, you've been silly and slightly kind when it suited your purpose to do so, but you've even more often sought to use me. Now, if you expect me to beg you to explain why you are so incensed you will be waiting a long time. Not even for my husband did I beg no matter how I bled."

The Linder through a glass and it shattered against the wall staining the faded wall-covering and giving the room the smell of a bar. "You seek to distract by insulting me."

"How am I supposed to have insulted you Guardian?" I asked trying to not let them see how frightened I was becoming.

"You have insulted not just me but us all and that I cannot forgive. My wife lays upon her bed while John tends her. She has collapsed upon hearing the news of your treachery."

"And what idiot let her hear such words that would cause her to collapse? Who lost all good sense?! And treachery is it?" I asked. "How is defending myself against drunken fools considered treachery? I did not make a scene at the gala to spare Mrs. Linder and the other guests. Not handling such a thing the right way is a step down a path to destroying the succession with feuds and civil war if the wrong families took sides."

Briefly I saw the Chancellor think but then he was distracted by his brother when he began, "You lured those two boys ..."

"Two?! There were three. All quite a bit larger than I. And what do you think the X I carved signified to begin with?!"

"What X?"

"What X?! On the forehead of the one that tried to get under my skirts while the other two held me! Though I admit I bloodied all three well enough that they would let me go and have to leave the gala!"

"There were two," the man said stubbornly.

"Three. Which one complained and let me face him and we'll have the truth of it?"

"They've been taken into protective custody. Their parents have sworn out a complaint against you. Luring boys ..."

"Boys older than I! Bigger than I! And I certainly was not luring! For what reason would I do such a corkbrained thing?!"

"To put them under your power the same as their brothers were under the power of ..."

"Let me guess. Ceena and Tonya. Did you know those three fools - three, not two - claimed that I killed my husband in his bed with my 'favors' and that they'd heard it straight from their mothers?! And I know for a fact one of them had a father in the room when my husband died and that my husband had been so sick that ... that favoring was completely impossible?!"

The Linder shouted, "Do not lie bitch!"

"Have you lost your mind the same as my husband?! Who brings such facts or are they merely accusations that you are choosing to believe? Who is bearing such false witness against me? And why would you believe them when I've never done anything to ..."

The Chancellor hissed, "Careful Widow. The witness is unimpeachable."

"Oh really. And just who is this witness?"

The Chancellor answered, "My wife."

I was shocked. Shocked nearly incoherent. "Tosha?" I gasped. "She ... she has to be mistaken. There were three. Even though it was going on dark she could not have possibly missed the third, not if she saw the fight. He was the one that said that he was going to bring a case against me for marking his face."

"You impugn my wife's honor?!"

I snapped, "Of course not. Tosha would never ..." I stopped shaking my head. Remembering the old man's words. Allies would be enemies and enemies would be allies. "Not Tosha," I whispered, crushed at the very thought.

"And that is not all she saw you Borderland whore."

"I beg your pardon?!" I yelped.

"Do not play innocent. You met in secret with a corrupted Borderlander in the maze."


	72. Chapter 71

_**Chapter 71**_

"I was accosted ... well waylaid perhaps is a better description as he never threatened me ... and ..."

"Shut up you bitch. If I could see you hanged for treason I would but it would bring so much shame and dishonor on the Linder name that it would destroy the entire Region."

I had been angry up to that point but a calm settled on me. I suppose it was a form of shock.

"Not without a trial and that is what I demand."

"Oh you demand do you?!" the Guardian snarled.

I turned to the Chancellor. "Do your duty. Arrest me. Let it be investigated and come out in a trial. All of it. Let the honor of those three young men come out. Let Tosha have her day to say her piece in front of a Judge. Let all of it come out. And allow me my right to defend myself."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" The Linder said spinning me around to face him once again. "Destroy my family. Defame my duty. See the Great Council come in here and ..."

"Let them. If you truly have nothing to hide then let them. If I am truly guilty then it will come out."

"No. No I cannot let ..."

"You cannot let justice take its course?" I asked. "If you are right and I am wrong then what is there to fear? Or is it that you cannot risk being wrong and shown to be the complete ass that you are acting?"

"You are gone you corrupted whore. Gone. You have two hours to pack a sack of belongings - and I'll decide what of that you can keep - and then you are going to be marched into the Borderlands and may you rot there."

He picked up a paper from his desk and shoved it in my face. "Do you know what this is whore? Your contract." He proceeded to shred it and then threw the pieces on me. "You get nothing. Nothing I say!"

"I never asked for anything!"

"Oh no, you just had Daren ask it. And now I must suspect my own brother of duplicity because of you!"

I saw the Chancellor startle at his words, start to say something then close his mouth. He turned and looked at me with hate as if it was my fault he'd seen a worry in his brother's actions he hadn't thought he'd ever have to deal with. If The Linder could turn on the Sheriff, how long would it be before he turned on him, the Chancellor?

"Cavorting about like a couple of ..."

I slapped The Linder's face shocking all three of us but I was the first to recover. If they thought they were going to shred me the same way the paper had been shredded I would prove to them otherwise.

The Linder went for me but the Chancellor pushed him back looking horrified and confused. I did not care, let him see what power did to people and then maybe he would never make such choices.

I told The Linder, "I did not slap you for the offense you gave my honor but for what you said against the Sheriff who is not even here to defend himself. From the first and for always he has been loyal to you, no matter how unfair the hand that first your father and then you dealt him. As for me, I accept I was fool to ever expect anything else from The Linder ... whether it be my husband or you."

I held my chin up and looked at the Chancellor with all the contempt and disappointment I could force into my gaze. "I will be ready. It would behoove you to come up with some reasonable explanation for the staff. I would also send for Dr. Cummins. The Linder appears close to apoplexy or some other kind of fit."

I turned and left the room thinking I didn't know who was the bigger fool; me or the rest of them. Had I really been after to destroy the family all I would have needed to do was pull my fang and strike both The Linder and the Chancellor down. They'd both heard me admit that I'd bloodied those three men yet had not even acted as if they suspected me of being armed. And the Guards were just as foolish. They didn't even leave a Guard for the door.

As I passed, staff in all direction tried to ask me what was going on and finally I had to stop and reply. "I am sorry. I will not discuss it. I am going to see Mizz Marta. I am sure that The Linder will offer an explanation in due time."

Still they talked and I did not escape the buzz of it until I slid inside Mizz Marta's room.

"What are you still doing up Alyce?"

"It's all over below stairs Widow. Guards took you off!"

"Easy now. Is Mizz Marta awake? I need to speak to her."

A voice from the other room said, "Alyce, you need to go to the staff lounge for a bit. The Widow and I have something to discuss."

Alyce did not want to leave but did so. I walked into the room of someone that had acted as a second mother to me and wanted to burst into tears as I had so many times before but could not. My feelings were all locked inside me. And seeing how frail Marta still was I knew that I would have to be the strong one.

I told her without preamble, "I must leave."

She nodded. "Where will you go?"

"I have options," I told her lying. "Once I find my feet I will try and let you know if I can find a little birdy to carry the tale."

"Well, then make sure you send your birdy addressed to my mother's holdings in Elisabethtown."

"Why?"

"I am retiring. I had nearly come to terms with it and was using the Gala as a post in the sand. It is apparent that I ... that I am unwell but do not always realize how unwell I am. You have been quite kind to not point it out but I have been keeping a journal. It has recorded my deterioration."

I shook my head, "You are better than you were."

Marta gave me a sad and tired smile. "And I hope to get better still but we both know that I will never be fit to run an establishment the size and complexity of Linderhall."

"It will cause a tear in the community here."

"Perhaps that is what is needed. A tear, then a healing. I am not indispensable. And neither is Mr. Holman or Mrs. Cooksey. We've all discussed our options. Holman and Cooksey want a few more years to set themselves up. Me?" She shook her head. "I stopped thriving long ago and this ... this whatever it is that has a grip on me only proves it."

I ran and took her in my arms. I could feel bones where I should have felt none. She felt as light as a bird. Even her heart fluttered.

"Who will look after you? Maybe they will let me ..."

"No Leeda. I am taking Alyce." That almost undone me. "I will admit I cannot abide the idea of you seeing me like this or as I get worse. Alyce has no memories of me being anything else. And she has family in the area that will look after her when I am gone."

"No ... you'll get better ..."

"Only for a time, then I will ... not." I did cry a bit at that but she told me to dry my tears. "Leeda, seasons turn and years come to a close. Life is the same way. I have had a nice long life and have seen a great many things, done a great many things. And I am also blessed in that I have very little left in this life that I have not been able to mend and still regret. It is time for me to take my leave of Linderhall. And it appears that it coincides with your need to as well. Can you tell me Child? It breaks my heart that once again a Linder has hurt you ... and this time because I called you here."

I nearly did, then realized it was impossible. "It is complicated politics," I told her instead. "It would take so long to unravel the facts for you that there isn't time to do so before I must take my leave. Suffice it to say that I made the mistake in forgetting who and what they are."

"Aye. I suppose that is as good an explanation as any has ever given when dealing with the Linders."


	73. Chapter 72

_**Chapter 72**_

No matter how heavy my heart I knew that my feet needed to have wings. Avoiding the staff and their questions I escaped out a side door and hurried back to the Dower House. I had a great many decisions to make on top of all I needed to do.

First thing I did was change into my old traveling clothes with the secret pockets. Into the pockets I stuffed my most treasured possessions. More fool I, I also tucked the painted wooden rose I had worn. Next came food. I had a few tinned cakes, some cheese, sausages, and a loaf of bread. That went into a pack that I would carry upon my back. I also disassembled my father's hunting rifle and wrapped it and the rifle's shot securely inside a wad of petticoats and my underthings and then dumped over the top of that my feminine needs. I know most men would shy from investigating after spotting those supplies but was prepared to fight for what was mine by right.

I also knocked the head off of my axe and tucked it in there as well. I could carve a new handle but I was no blacksmith that could beat a new blade into being. I gathered what I could, trying to think as if I was planning on surviving in the forest on my own. Flint and matches, water containers, my old fishing gear, and on and on. When I finished I had a pack and a satchel, both almost too heavy for me to carry. I looked with longing at what I was leaving behind but then shook my head at my foolishness.

Then there was pounding on the door and I cursed. "So he has decided I don't even have the full two hours has he?"

With dignity I opened the door but did not see Guards but instead was faced with a furious April Linder who flew at me and scratched my face with her claws. "You witch! How dare you threaten my family!"

I pushed her back off of me and into the arms of Ronald Nealy who exerted his strength to hold her back though he looked like he'd be just as happy to let her have another go at me. While they did not attack me physically again they spent my last precious moments attacking me with their words. So furious were they that I could not even begin to understand them. But finally I snapped when I heard them accuse me of putting Mrs. Linder in danger so I could take her place.

"You fools! You prideful fools! You play right into their hands just like your ancestors did before you. Stop accusing me of such made up and unprovable treachery. I never had any designs on getting the status back that I once held. Before seeing The Linder's true colors the idea made me want to vomit. Now I'd rather throw myself from the tower before I'd bind myself to another like my husband was. Get out! You're all mad! I am done with the whole ignorant, self-absorbed lot of you! You care for naught but yourselves and your precious status! You must be right at all costs! You call me arrogant?! Try looking into the peering glass!"

April wailed, "How could you?! How am I to explain this to Daren?!"

"Quite easily. Give him the facts you hold ... and only the facts. Leave all of your assumptions out of it. Then let him be a man and make up his own mind. For just once treat him as the Sheriff, with respect, and not just as your hair-brained baby brother. You will be astounded at his capacity for intelligence."

I hurriedly turned to return to the kitchen so she could not see how deeply she wounded me only to run face first into a wall off of which I bounced and fell to the floor with an "oomph." I looked up and screamed, "Botheration! Must you always be under foot?!" I picked myself up, trying to stop the tears that threatened with every breath. But then, when Nat stepped from behind the Sheriff I could do nothing but run and fall into my cousin's arms and bawl like a baby.


	74. Chapter 73

_**Chapter 73**_

"Leeda, tell me again what the man said."

"Again?" I asked in near despair. "Nat I've said it over a dozen times already."

He patted my hand and tried to comfort me. "I know Leeda, just once more."

"That's what you said last time."

We were in the sitting room of the Sheriff's apartments in the Hall. I was so close to breaking down that I could not even sit up straight and leaned over and put my head in my hands.

I tried to ignore the Chancellor and the three Church elders in attendance and focus solely on Nat. Impossible to ignore was the Sheriff that refused to leave my side and who had refused to speak to any of his family.

One more time I told it ... Nancee's dress repair, April taking her back to the party, getting lost in my thoughts and then running afoul of the three - and yes they believe me about the number as the Sheriff had had all three young men rounded up and brought before us where they promptly broke down in fear, spilling their guts of how they'd been encouraged to take action by their brothers. Then how immediately after extricating myself from that predicament I'd been waylaid by the old man, and all that he had said. How I had returned to the gala with much on my mind and in a foul mood ... confirmed by Chelle who had by then been informed of what truly ailed her husband.

She'd exclaimed, "But that is impossible. I filled Tomas' flask with my husband's own blend and he's shown no side effects!"

Chelle was now being consoled by Kate Cummins whose husband, Dr. Cummins, was looking after The Linder and trying to flush his system of the drug with everyone praying there would be no lasting effects. The Linder was in the throes of a very bad detoxification process and had been closed up in one of the uppermost rooms in the Hall where his screams could not be heard by anyone.

April, Nancee, and Kate's companion were looking after Mrs. Linder who'd been given a mild sedative so that she would sleep.

The Doctor was also looking after Tosha Linder who hovered near death from a potion she herself had taken. She'd left a note apologizing for her lie explaining that her mother had threatened to reveal an indiscretion from her youth if she did not comply; she had been terrified the story would destroy her marriage. But after hearing what had happened as a result she could not live with herself.

The Chancellor was in shock. I'd seen him try to approach the Sheriff but get rebuffed. I actually felt sorry for the man. His world had been turned upside down and his carefully crafted beliefs were being destroyed brick by brick.

I told how I'd returned to the Gala because frankly I hadn't known what else to do that wouldn't cause a scandal and I was still trying to decide if the old man had just been a political prank of unknown origin. And how just as soon as I'd decided I couldn't wait to decipher the puzzle myself and headed to request an audience with The Linder that I'd run into the summons.

Every time I repeated what had happened in The Linder's office I could feel the anger start to radiate anew off of the furious man hovering beside me and witness the Chancellor become a little grayer. Then came the story of the confrontation with Ronald Nearly and April Linder that brought with it the memory of watching from Nat's protective arms as the Sheriff had grabbed his cousin by the scruff of his neck and the seat of his pants and sent him airborne from the house. He'd nearly done the same to his sister but stopped himself with a growl and a pointed finger to indicate she had best leave in all haste. He had slammed the door in their shocked faces and then turned to me and simply stared.

He had yet to say anything to me directly, only through third parties. Most often he would speak to Nat who would then speak to me but he stayed close and his hand would occasionally brush my arm in silent support. Then I mentioned the arrival of the three Church elders from the university who I had learned had already been on their way to Linderhall and then of our removal to the Sheriff's rooms to begin the interrogations.

"Leeda?"

I looked tiredly at Nat. "One more time?"

"No," he said coming to my side forcing the Sheriff to finally move away. "The Elders have some questions for you."

"For me? Why?"

One of the old men said, "Because we have heard a great deal about you Leeda Harper Linder and we would like to hear your thoughts. Especially since you seem to feel you are somehow a point upon which this whole story turns."

I shook my head denying that interpretation. "I do not feel it. It is what I was told. To be honest I am not sure that I believe half of what the old man told me. I have not had much opportunity to study on it but there are so many holes in his story that the whole of the 'Cific could pour through it. That prophecy business ... I doubt there is any way to prove it. And the rest? So few real facts and that is what is the most irritating about it all."

One of the other elders looked at me quizzically and asked, "How so?"

"How so? Facts. Or should I say the lack of them. The prophecy itself seems like no more than a story made up to frighten children with ... or perhaps it started out as a true story that has simply been twisted for someone's own purpose. Then there are the assumptions made about my character based solely upon innuendo regardless of all of the evidence to the contrary. The unfounded and ridiculous assumption that I would ever want to be the wife of another Guardian." I shuddered, tasting the bile that ran up the back of my throat. "Once was enough," I whispered making everyone in the room try and look any place but at me.

"Then what do you think?" he asked.

"I think someone needs to be locked up in a padded room, maybe even me," I said sarcastically.

"Leeda," Nat warned softly. "That is not helping."

I sighed. "I suppose not but at least it made me feel better for a brief moment." I heard a snort but though I knew the Sheriff had made it there was no evidence of it on his face. A nudge from Nat and I tried to answer with more seriousness.

"I think that it really has nothing to do with me personally. It is simply that I am the last Harper and those that have spent a lifetime invested in that prophecy being true have begun to panic."

The third church elder, the one that had yet to speak, leaned forward and nodded. "Sister Evelyn - and yes I am well acquainted with that esteemed lady - warned us that you were level headed almost to the point of irritation and believed very little that you did not have proof for."

Startled I looked directly at him and it was like facing a curious raven. "I ... I beg your pardon."

"No need my child. I simply mean that most of the human species would try and make as much profit as they could if they'd been told they could make or break history and instead you roll your eyes and tell the lot of us to stop believing in fables like it is too ridiculous to even contemplate."

I shrugged. "Life is hard enough, there is no need to make it harder by treating it as a drama troupe."

The old man chuckled then shook his head. "You must have been an interesting child."

"I was an irritating carbuncle. Ask Nat. I was forever into things and asking so many questions my father finally ordered Nat to drop me at the town library on his way to training to give my mother and grandmother a break. Then the librarian nearly threw me out when I kept telling him that many of the books held translation errors so Nat started taking me to the college and church library where I finally met people that had answers for my questions and if they did not have the answers they set me in a direction I could find them for myself. That's where I met Sister Evelyn." Quietly and more seriously I added, "That is also why Nat and I escaped the plague that stole our family. I'd been practicing making hygienic washes and Nat let me experiment upon him. I'd made the wash because of its pleasing scent but it turned out the combination of essential oils that I'd chosen for smell alone were actually exactly the combination that broke down the germs of the plague." I stopped the memories with a shake of my head.

I told all those in the room. "I'm just a woman. I'm no point upon which the world turns. I hold no inherent power in my hands ... at least no more than anyone else does. And I refuse to believe that somehow I am the embodiment of both good and evil depending upon my begats. It is too absurd."

Nat put his hand on my arm and pulled me to lean back in the chair that I sat in. "Easy Leeda."

The first church elder spoke again and said, "But you believed in the Darkfriars when even the Sheriff doubted their existence."

"Only after serious research where I was able to put some actual facts and evidence together into a theory - or hypothesis I should say - that made sense. As for what the old Borderlander told me of the Darkfriars and the Borderland priesthood I have no idea. It sounds made up."

Nat slowly said, "Actually Leeda ... that part is true. At least the framework of the story is."


	75. Chapter 74

_**Chapter 74**_

"Well? Tell me! Is this family lore or have you found something in the ancient texts?"

Nat tried to hide a tired smile while he said, "Slow down Roo."

For the first time the Sheriff asked a direct question. "Roo?"

This time Nat did chuckle though he sounded no less tired. "Leeda was born early and small. Her mother took a while to heal up and our Grandmother had her hands full just trying to keep us all fed and clean until Aunt Belle could get back on her feet. And even as a newborn Leeda was curious and would cry if left in her cradle in the corner unless she was sleeping ... and she hardly ever slept, or so it seemed. She wanted to be up and see what was going on. That left the care of Leeda to us boys a great deal of the time so that the adults could get their work done. Grandfather fashioned a pouch for Leeda to fit in and we simply took turns hauling her around. Grandmother would tell us ancient children's stories of a bear and his friends and one of them was a young animal called a kangaroo that rode around in its mother's pouch as such animals do. And that's why we started calling her Roo."

I was so tired I nearly cried as I could still hear my brothers teasing me with the name, not because I still needed carrying about but because I was always burying myself into their packs looking for the interesting things they would bring me back from their forest hikes.

The Sheriff must have noticed and said with great concern, "You are over tired. I will have a room made up and you and Nat ..."

"No," I said despite the gratitude I felt that he'd at least built the thought. "This needs to be finished. Or if not finished at least brought to a plateau that sets us up for the rest of what is coming."

With concern Nat asked, "Do you have a feeling?"

I nodded. "I don't have enough facts to make a picture yet but there is something just out of reach. I know it is there but I can't seem to grasp it. It is barely substantial but still I know it is there; it is like a whiff of smoke while taking a turn in the fire tower. It is there but so faint that I can't figure the direction to follow it to its origin."

The Chancellor asked in confusion, "What's this? What does she mean?"

I looked at Nat to let him explain but instead was surprised when one of the Church elders spoke. "She is a Harper."

The Chancellor said, "I ... I'm not sure what that means."

Benevolently the old man said, "It means that just like with the first Harper some members of the family have an intellect that surpasses what is considered average or normal by most. Sometimes those that exhibit such intellect can make jumps in logic."

"Precognition?" the Chancellor said in horror looking at me like I was a witch.

"No, of course not. The Church would never allow the exploitation of such skills. No, the jump in logic only appears magical to those who don't realize that what is actually taking place is that their minds are collating facts at such a rate and creating hypothesis and theories in such number that it allows them to see ... lines of possibilities. But being a stubborn Harper they will not guess and say what they think if they cannot base it in fact. They are very much hardheaded that way."

I looked at the old man. "You seem to know ... well ... my family's habits quite well. Has Nat spoken with you?"

The old man chuckled. "No Child it is just that in my own youth I knew several of your family members including your great great grandfather. He was out measuring the ground because he was worried at the unusual activity around the sinkhole and had written to my father who was an engineer. Everyone else was convinced that the Harpers were exaggerating their concern in demanding that all of the buildings and enclosures in such a large area be dismantled and moved. His theory proved to be true within a few feet."

I shook my head. "Too bad he didn't take his own advice and stay out of the area. When you have such a theory and believe it then you should act on it and not act like it will touch everyone else but yourself." I shook my head to release it from the quagmire of getting stuck in the past and asked Nat, "Truly, how do you know the Darkfriars and Priests of the Damned to be connected? Family lore?"

"No, I shared all with you that I knew. Had I known what I know now I would have probably taken you directly to the convent on the grounds of the Regional University. You would have been happy there as soon as you had seen the size and breadth of the library."

I laid my head on Nat's shoulder. "No. No, sometimes events must play out whether we understand their purpose or not."


	76. Chapter 75

_**Chapter 75**_

"Allow me Child," said one of the Church elders as he got more comfortable as if to tell a story. "The Sheriff has told us what you know of your family's lore and we have heard what the Borderlander told you. Taking that information I can say that you are both right and wrong in your declaration of the veracity of both."

"How so Sir?" I asked, happy as ever to receive a lesson from one of the Brothers. "What did I miss?"

He smiled and told Nat, "A sponge she is; I wish more of my students were this eager." Returning to my question he explained. "You were correct when you said that the truth was likely a tale that took some from both sides of the stories told to you. You were incorrect in assuming that there was no way to find the middle ground where the true facts lay."

"Sir?"

"Patience. A little mystery never hurt anything," he said with a kind smile. "Now, the first thing you will need to understand is that the study of the arcane is not something that either the Church or the University encourages. Too many that have, have been swayed to evil and used the knowledge to abuse their status and those under their care. But that is not to say that a select group of Brothers well-armed against such temptation - as well as accountable to one another in prayer and actions daily - does not study it so that fact can be discerned from fiction. Also when someone carries a tale we can usually discern where that tale originates or how it might have been twisted so that we can reveal the original truth. Knowledge, like wealth, is not in and of itself a bad thing, it is how it is used that can be evil."

"In this case the study of the Darkfriars was not something that needed to be studied on a daily basis as we knew they had all passed from this life; but we kept the knowledge of them secure so that no one else could take up their name and reputation as if they had never fallen or been defeated."

I asked, "So the ... the order that calls themselves the Priests of the Damned defeated the Darkfriars?"

"No, actually that was a group of select military men who refused the notoriety of the deed seeing it to be their duty and honor to root out the worst of the worst enemies that would destroy their land. They saw the giving of death as a sometimes necessity, not something to be bragged about."

"This particular group held a dozen fine men. Despite the government to which they owed their allegiance to having fallen during the Days of Destruction, these men continued with their call to duty to deal with those that no ordinary protector could expunge. These military men did not eradicate the Darkfriars entirely, but did cut out the heart of their group and ran them into the desolate places and away from those they would persecute. It was a larger militia made up of different men that followed the Darkfriars to complete their destruction only to find that the remnants of the Darkfriars had run headlong into a group of corrupted individuals that did the deed for them. The texts, sketches, and ancient pictures that survive from that mission are in a file that is held in a special vault beneath the Regional University. Having reason to study that file and others similar to it on occasion so as to ascertain the veracity of some translated texts, I recognized the story that the Borderlander told to you."

"But," I started hesitantly. "I am only just hearing this. And only just told Nat. How did you know you would need to be here to hear this story?"

"Brother Nat and I have been conversing at some length concerning a puzzle that the Sheriff had put to him. The symbols of the Darkfriars is but one part of it so I familiarized myself with the facts ... and what we know of the Priests of the Damned since that time."

"They've really been around that long?" I asked.

"Yes, since the Chaos though they were - and still are - a very small sect compared to what you know as the Church."

"And they really practice ...?" I was hesitant to repeat yet again all of the corruption that I suspicioned them of.

"Yes," he sighed showing his age. "Think of it as a form of control. They tell their people the lie that there are no consequences for their lusts and pleasures, that their dark god rejoices with them. And when the consequences spring forth down the generations they rationalize them by saying that the corruptions are actually blessings. They are a twisted people who cling to their beliefs because without them ... without them they would have to recognize the corruption of their souls and it would crush most of them."

"Most of them? Not all?"

"Not all. Some are still strong enough to search for the truth. It appears that perhaps that is the stage that your Borderlander is in."

"And the others?"

"The others are evil and it makes no difference to them that they follow a false god because they do it for the pleasures of the flesh rather than for their soul which they care nothing about if they even believe in its existence."

I let his answer soak in then asked, "And this particular Borderland sect did descend from the Harpers?"

He nodded. "Yes. And no. It is true that some of the earliest leaders were descendants of Solomon Harper but we are each answerable for our choices and Solomon Harper is not accountable for the choices his children made during adulthood. But the entire population of that sect would have died out almost before a generation was out if others had not joined with them."

"And the prophecy?"

"That's a little murkier but I believe that I have some clues."


	77. Chapter 76

_**Chapter 76**_

My fatigue, while it did not vanish, was somewhat put at bay by the idea of unraveling the mystery the old man had plopped into my lap.

The elder began, "As has been ascertained, a curse of sorts was placed upon those that call themselves The Damned. The curse was a verbal one and in the beginning held no real power. However, as with many such so-called curses, the power came not from the one that made it but from those that began to believe in it. At the time the curse was made the Harpers and the Linders were very powerful. The Linders for traditional political reasons which they have maintained and the Harpers because of its family encompassing people like you and Brother Nat ... people not afraid of questioning and seeking truth even at the cost of your own egos. You follow the facts to build the story rather than conforming the facts so that it is your story that is built. A fine line but a definite difference nonetheless."

"I still don't see how that should automatically create a ... well ... what amounts to a myth. Look how the Harper family has found itself. Nat and I are the last and we've both agreed, for our own reasons, to give up what we were born to."

"And some see that as predestination. It would appear that no matter how your family has been attacked a certain percentage always survived ... and even thrived."

I snorted. "Attacked? A bit farfetched."

Nat placed his hand upon my arm and when I turned to look at him expecting censure what I found was deep concern. "Leeda ... from what we've discovered ... it would appear that some that we thought accidents or acts of nature were in fact intentional."

Thinking he referred to some things that had happened to me during our marriage I hesitated to speak long enough that I didn't need to. "The failure of the sinkhole was inevitable but ... but appears to have been helped along. That knowledge was secreted within some of the Waverly papers and correspondence with the then Guardian. It is also highly likely that the plague ..."

Horrified I whispered, "No ..."

"Yes Leeda. In my own grief at the time I ... I ... the information was kept from me and then they thought that they'd been mistaken and simply swept their original concerns under the rug thinking nothing further of it."

"How did you come by this knowledge? Surely if it had been so serious someone would have ..."

The Sheriff spoke up. "Widow, this involved politics ... very high level politics."

I glanced at him then almost became physically ill. "Don't. Don't say that ... that he ..."

The Sheriff kneeled down and took my hands. "No. Not that. Though I ... I wouldn't put it past the family at this point." The Chancellor was extremely puzzled then paled at his brother's implied criticism. The Sheriff ignored him. "It would appear that the former mayor of Waverly played an even deeper game than we gave him credit for. This poison runs deep and far and tracing it back has revealed how insidious the infection has been in Tentuckia by those calling themselves the new crop of Darkfriars."

My mouth was so dry I could no swallow but one thought would not be quieted. "They died. Because of me. All of those innocent people died because of me. Somehow they knew of my husband's designs, his plans, even though they make no sense in hindsight. Someone knew and ... and took action to prevent him gaining what he sought."


	78. Chapter 77

_**Chapter 77**_

It was too much yet I had no choice but to accept it. Those before me would not lie; certainly Nat would not; not even to protect what most would call my sensibilities. But then that niggling doubt, caused by the words of the old man, tried to worm its way inside my thoughts. I slammed my mental heel down on the vermin and put it to a well-deserved death.

I stood up and slowly walked to the window, looked out and saw that the day was setting yet again. I'd had no sleep but I knew that for a while at least sleep would be an elusive beast for me to hunt.

I gathered my shredded nerves and in the silence of the room said, "Or perhaps I am being melodramatic to take it so personally. If indeed our family was conspired against for generations I cannot be the sole object involved here."

I heard approval from one of the Elders as he said, "Very good my Child, very good. Shocked you may be but you are still willing to use logic to avoid the hysterics. And the answer to that is yes, you are not the sole target that was sought; but, being the last Harper able to begat ... or at least the last to carry the name Harper able to do so as you do have cousins on the paternal side though distant in relation ... you are the current focus, much more narrowed down since you are the last."

Slowly I nodded. "So, we know that the Waverly family ... or at least Rom's father ... had some reason to do what he did. Do we know why?"

"Status. Power. What else? He has been ... questioned ... by a Church inquisitor and it took nothing more than the suggestion of social and political ostracism to cause him to spill what we believe to be everything he knows. Apparently he has been - or at least feels - abandoned by those he had thought would be his rise to much loftier status. He confessed as much for revenge against those he had believed in as he did to save his own skin. His son, the current Mayor, Turner is his name, was present though hidden from his view, and heard it all and was much devastated by his father's actions. He has already asked to have church counselors come to minister to the family he now heads. A wise move on his part even if it is only for appearance sake."

"Be that as it may, to what purpose beyond status and power. There has to be something more to it than that."

"For Waverly, no. But for those that manipulated and used him the goal was to minimize your presence, keep you from begatting by whatever means necessary even if it meant taking a direct hand in your death though that did generate some fear in the opposition since you had survived so many attempts while your husband lived."

I stilled and glanced at Nat from under my lashes. He looked terribly sad and I immediately went to him. "Don't Nat. Please don't."

"How can I not? I should never have allowed it. The marriage was an abomination from the beginning."

"Nat, how many times have you told me of God's authority? How many times have you told me that He allows a great many things we simply do not understand? If the marriage hadn't been in His plan then it would not have happened. I cannot fathom the reason for it but happen it did. Perhaps I won't find out until I am in His presence after this life is over but I am content to let the past lay where it died. And I came out of it a stronger person, a person that can now face what is before us, and I do not think I could have without the experience."

Nat briefly closed his eyes and then said, "Ex ore infantium." I did not take offense at him saying out of the mouth of babes as Nat would always look at me like that to some extent. He placed his hand on my head briefly and then sighed. "I would still have given my life to prevent you from such pain."

"I know. But God didn't want that of you. So let it be. And let us move on. While I may have had no say in what befell me up to this point, I have to believe that it is all for a purpose. And I believe that in a very odd sense the old man was right ... the end is near and if I am to be part of it then God must have some plan for me to take His part in it and have some deeper understanding of His wishes because of what I experienced."


	79. Chapter 78

_**Chapter 78**_

Unfortunately for my peace of mind I was to get no closer to the truth or His plan at that moment. The Elders were feeling their age and needed to recuperate if they were to maintain their health. Nat too was suffering - some of the suffering was of his own making but most of it was fatigue and lack of proper diet. The Chancellor was as conflicted as I had ever seen him. He looked more ill than anyone in the room. And the Sheriff only stood because his anger kept him stiff and upright.

Taking the part of hostess though by rights it should have been someone else's duty I sent staff here and there to prepare meals and rooms for the Elders and for Nat. Then passing the Sheriff I whispered, "Say something to him. He needs you and it is your duty as a brother no matter your position as Sheriff."

His mouth tightened and I was sure that he would refuse but he unbent sufficiently to cross to where the Chancellor stood. The Sheriff walked him from the room and I was just seeing to the last of everyone's needs when he returned an hour later.

"Leeda," he whispered.

I turned to him and went to come to him but he backed up. "I ... I ..."

I shook my head. "This is not like you at all. You are obviously as fatigued as the others and should take a moment to eat and rest."

"Should you not have already done the same?"

"I'm afraid I selfishly hoped that you would let me know how the others were. Tosha? Mrs. Linder? Your brothers?"

He shook his head once again and as if in great pain asked, "Why would you even want to?! By all the Saints, Martyrs, and Dead Innocents. Leeda ..."

Carefully I crossed so that he wouldn't feel the need to back away again. "Foolish talk that is," I told him gently. "Because they are your family ... and what affects you ... affects me."

All the stiffness seemed to leave his bones and if a chair had not been right beside him I think he would have landed on the floor. As it was I worried he was going to topple from it. He bent so far his head was in his hands. Concerned I took the last few steps and bent down in front of him. "Sheriff?"

"By all that's Holy. If it is the last thing I do Leeda I will prove myself man enough for you. I swear it. Just give me time to prove it."

"Still with the foolish talk. You already are. If I had any question of it, your steadfast support during this time has won me over."

"I said nothing."

"You couldn't. You aren't just the man in front of me but the Sheriff of Tentuckia. But ... you still managed by presence and gesture that my greatest fear was not going to happen."

"And what fear might that be? I'll slay it."

"Again, you already have. My greatest fear was that ... that you wouldn't give me a chance ... wouldn't believe me ... and that ... that ... the glimmer I have felt would die."

"Glimmer? Hell, I feel a raging inferno. The only reason my heart is still beating is because you are still here. When I found out ..." He shook his head and abruptly stood but then swayed.

"Sheriff! Here, sit. At least eat a piece of fruit. When is the last time you have had any sustenance?"

"Aye. Too long. And you too. I will eat if you will."

He drew me to a small table - the same table where we had shared the cocoa only days before - and upon it sat a tray of fruit, cheese, and small crackers with cold sliced meat on the side. He placed some food upon small plates while I poured us a bracing cider.

Finally I asked, "What did you mean? When you said that when you heard? Heard what?"

He sighed. "I left a couple of little birdies to keep an eye on things while I was away. This damned gala had the potential for trouble written all over it and I wouldn't have stayed away except this business kept me longer than expected as we'd finally begun turning over answers ... Nat and I. Had your cousin the slightest inclination he would make a fine Investigator; he is tireless when he is on a quest."

"Yes. It is why I worry about his health sometimes. I'd say he needs a wife but he has no inclination."

"He explained why he cannot begat."

"Begatting has nothing to do with it," I said with absolute conviction. "There are women that fear it or fear rejection because they cannot begat themselves. They would love a man like Nat in their lives. No, it is that Nat has no inclination. His bride is the Church and the work he finds there. I just hope that eventually there is someone that will watch after him as I have tried to when he would let me."

The Sheriff insisted on placing another cracker with cheese and meat upon my plate and then said, "Leeda, my birdie got word to me as soon as they could but I still had some miles to travel. I would have spared you if I could have. I cannot believe Tomas ... all of them ... my God, even April ..."

I put my hand on his arm. I had taken such comfort from him brushing me in the same way through the day that I had hopes to bring him comfort as well. "I don't know the whole of it but at least in Tomas' case it was a poisoning of sorts that caused him to act as he did."

"James doesn't have that excuse," he said trying to hold onto his disgust by will alone.

"No, but Tosha ..." I couldn't keep that deep hurt out of my voice. Of them all, even knowing the deep distress she was in, she was the one that hurt me the deepest. Trying to retain my composure I said, "Tosha is his bride. I don't know if it was a love match in the beginning but I strongly suspect it became one shortly thereafter. If she lives they will have a long, difficult road and will need a great deal of counseling. A Chancellor cannot risk a wife that is able to be swayed in such a fashion."

Some of the wind went out of the Sheriff's sails. "Aye. He is hanging on by a thread. On top of it all he knows that should Tomas ... die ... or become incapacitated that he would inherit the mantel of responsibility Tomas now wears. Even if the babe m' sister in law carries is born healthy and whole James will be regent until the babe is old enough and trained enough to take their place in society, and that's assuming the child is a boy."

"Mrs. Linder is well?"

"Surprisingly so. I just left her and she wants to see you. In her words, 'Dear God, we owe her a debt that cannot be paid. Tomas would have died of an overdose without this whole blow up.' She's ... well she more than any of them is taking a ... well ... she's awful damn prosaic all things considered. I'm not sure what to make of it."

I nodded. "We all have our mantel of protection. For now Mrs. Linder is taking the path that attempts to mend the most. I believe we should follow her example."

"What?! After all that you've been through?!"

"Easy Sheriff. Do not take this the wrong way but as I see it there are two paths before us. I prefer to take the one that brings the least amount of pain in the long run. Forgiveness is not something we do for others but something we do for ourselves. If I've learned nothing in this almost year since my husband's death, I've at least begun to see that. When we don't forgive others we fail to find forgiveness for ourselves and there is needless pain and confusion ... and it is of our own making."

"Bah!"

"You think? Then puzzle this out for me Sheriff. Had I forgiven Rom and Fan for what I considered their transgression it is very possible that I would have seen the plot without it having to be explained to me. Instead I held onto my hurt feelings. At the very least I would have escaped the lonely existence that was just a continuation of what I had experienced in my marriage."

A moment passed and then the Sheriff sighed. "Dammit, stop having so much commonsense. I wish to hang them all and to hell with the consequences. You make me feel churlish for wanting such."


	80. Chapter 79

_**Chapter 79**_

I expected to lie awake for a long time but my body failed me. I did not even undress but merely sat upon the bed that had been assigned for my use only to find myself waking up several hours later. The house lay unnaturally quiet around me. For some unfathomable reason I began to fear in earnest and jumped up to find that I was missing one of my slippers necessitating a brief, panicked search which I finally gave up in frustration so that I could run out of the room.

All was silent in the Sheriff's quarters. Not even the food from the night before had been picked up and removed which was totally unlike the normally efficient staff of the Hall. The small hairs on the back of my neck danced in reaction to my feelings. I did not feel at all myself and this only added to my confusion.

My fang was still in place thank all that is Holy and I carefully picked my way over to Nat's bedroom. I carefully opened the door, unsure at what I would find but he still lay abed and asleep. I nearly collapsed in relief and went over to him but when I tried to rouse him he would not awaken. My nightmare returned and briefly across my mind danced memories of my family during the Plague. But unlike our family, his pulse was strong, his breathing steady; he simply would not wake up. His breath, when I bent to smell it was sour; but I could not tell if it were due to poison or not.

I quickly rushed to the other rooms in this suite and found that the Elders were likewise incapacitated. I worried briefly because of their age but had to put it aside when I ran to the Sheriff's room only to find one of the bed pillows stained red with blood that was still tacky with freshness. I discovered more blood upon the floor as my stocking foot slipped in a small pool of it. The blood was not a bright red as it would have been if it had been from an artery but it was still no small amount.

It was at that moment that an injured Ronald Nealy ran into the room and stopped short when he saw me. Then it was his turn to nearly collapse in relief. "I thought they had taken you."

"Who? And … and where is the Sheriff?"

"Daren is fine. Damnably hardheaded. Survived an assassination if you can believe that. Escaped and drew off the attackers before locking these chambers. It took me forever to pass and enter herein. Right now he's protecting the family. They've been able to keep them out of the Hall, but not for much longer. He sent me to fetch everyone to safety. Had no idea everyone was unconscious. Why aren't you?"

"I have no idea. I do not always react to potions in the same way others do. We will need help to move …"

"No! My duty is to you first."

"I …"

But before I could forestall him, Ronald Nealy had thrown me over his shoulder and was rushing down the winding stairs and then out a side door and away from the Hall. "Stop! Oh Stop! You …"

"No time Widow. My orders were to get you away from the Hall before more damage can be done and it is worth more than my life to disobey the order."

He began jogging and it took most of my concentration not to vomit down the man's back. When he finally swung me down I found that we were some distance away from the Hall and near what appeared to be a break in the Compound Wall.

"Up you go Widow," he said as he tossed me upon a sprightly roan mare.

"Wait. This is all so precipitous. Where is Nanny? I would prefer if we are to do this that …"

"Your nag ran off. You'll have to make do with this one. Your gear has already been strapped on. Now enough."

"But who …"

"Borderlanders. They've attacked the Hall en mass."

Shock silenced me. Such an attack had not taken place in my lifetime. "What do they want?"

"You Widow. They said they will kill the entire family and every servant to get you starting with the babe in Mrs. Linder's belly. The only way to save everyone is to get you away."

"This … this is asinine! And insane. And it must stop. Now. Let me go so that I may communicate with the Borderlanders. There has to be some among them with a sense of self preservation."

And summarily I found myself unconscious once again.


	81. Chapter 80

_**Chapter 80**_

I came to myself with a throbbing headache not unlike the time that Rom had convinced me to try a mug of his family's punch that he had snuck away when I had not been invited to one of their frequent banquets for the influential in the area. I did not enjoy the feeling then. I was even less inclined to appreciate the hammer inside my brain this time. Then it had been Nat castigating me as to my foolishness. This time it was myself instituting a flagellation of enormous proportions.

But even so, though my head may have ached, I felt much more in control of my faculties than I had been feeling and realized that the last of whatever drug that had been used upon me had finally faded from my system. For some reason however, my survival instincts had tripled in their insistence at being listened to.

Taking stock I realized that I was tied upon the roan horse I rode. Astoundingly I also still had my fang though my hands were positioned in such a way as to make using it a temporary impossibility. Contrary to my initial reaction, it was not a blindfold that kept my sight from much use. Night had fallen like a dark curtain and that combined with the fact that my hair was falling from its pins shielded my face so that I could search my surroundings. I dared to peek to see who was leading the horse. To my great chagrin I recognized the uniformed back of Ronald Nealy.

Unable to gain any other knowledge due to the darkness of our surroundings I sat up and said, "I really dislike being taken for a fool."

The man jumped and spun in the saddle so quickly he startled the horses and nearly unseated us both.

"Damn you. You should not be conscious."

"No. Damn you. And may all manner of curses find you and deal you the same favor that you have done to the family."

"No! Shut your mouth woman! I'll not be cursed by the likes of you."

"Idiot," I muttered. I had only been guessing, trying to get a feel for the depth of the corruption in the man in front of me, but if I had planted a seed of fear and unease then so much the better. I asked him, "What part in this ridiculous farce do you play?"

"Farce? Farce?!"

"Yes. Farce." I said with a snort. "The fact that you fly up into the boughs tells me that you are very invested in some part of this. But answer me a few things if you will since we seem to have the time. Why should anyone believe that I hold some design to become the mother of begats that end the world? That is pure idiocy. From the sound of things the Borderlanders are well on their way to ending their own world with their corruption and infertility. And after my experience at the hands of not one Guardian but two, to believe that I'd place politics above my own sanity is absolute stupidity."

Angrily he grumbled, "You do not understand. You cannot understand. You are a Harper and a Linder on top of it."

I let that go as it was a fact I could not and would not deny. However I did disabuse him of the notion that somehow my understanding was inferior to his. "Oh I understand well enough. Bottled at its most basic, those in power wish to stay in power and they will manipulate whoever they need to to do so. The Darkfriars manipulate the weak minded of their people, preying on their corruptions and addictions and need to feel empowered above their status … so long as that empowerment does not extend to being able to stand up to their own leaders, both political and religious. The same might be said of any other group, including Tentuckia and even up to the Great Council itself. Status is far too easily used and abused by some with no understanding of the consequence. So again I ask, what is your place in this drama troupe?"

Ronald Nealy turned around and then jerked my horse's reins irritating it, and with the way I felt the animal's muscles work beneath my legs, not for the first time. A small smile tried to escape my control as I realized that I had an advantage that my kidnapper had not meant me to have. I was riding a Linderhall horse … and all Linderhall horses were trained to fight in case they were needed by the Guard.

A plan quickly formed in my mind. I called, "Ronald Nealy?"

"Do not seek to beguile me Widow. I have my duty and it is a high calling indeed."

"Beguile you?" I laughed. "The idea nauseates me." I wanted to add that compared to the Sheriff he was no better than muck upon the bottom of my boots but could not let my mind take flight in that direction. I already worried how much he had told me while we were still at the Hall was truthful and how much was a fiction invented to get me moving with as little effort on his part as possible.

"No. You want me. I saw it."

"Only in a drug induced dream. Have you been corrupted as so many others have been by the narcotic being used to control and mold so many I have come into conflict with recently?"

"No. I have only been blessed to have imbibed a less potent version of the Nectar of Enlightenment. And that only upon rare moments when I have gained favor for a job well done."

"Nectar of …?!" I stopped myself from expressing my true incredulity. "And who did you say blessed you?"

"You'll see soon enough."

"You mean you've allowed yourself to be corrupted by the one claiming the reputation of the Darkfriars? How pathetic."

"No. You simply do not understand as of yet, but you will. And they are not the Darkfriars. That is a child's fairytale to control the weak."

I nodded though he could not see. "Well at least you have some of that correct. The Darkfriars were destroyed by a military force back during the Chaos. Then a group calling themselves Priests of the Damned absorbed what few remained as well as absorbed some corrupted descendants of Solomon Harper. They turned that troupe of suicidal monkeys into a force in the Borderlands though their power is waning due to their inability to begat with any regularity. Ceena and Tonya did quite an extensive investigation of …"

"Silence! I will not listen to your lies!"

"Prove they are lies. Because I can assure you that I can prove they are facts. Ceena and Tonya kept extensive family histories of not just Tentuckian families, but families in other regions as well, and they speak of deep seated corruptions and not all of them caused by genetically intermingling with Borderlanders. The Days of Destruction left their mark on all of us."

"Shut up."

"Make me," I told him with glee, attempting to push him far enough so that he would come as close as I needed him to.

He snarled and turned to strike out at me but my opportunity to play my hand and escape was taken away when an arrow came out of the night and hit him in the shoulder so that he fell from the saddle. At the same time several … people … swarmed from the trail on either side of us, grabbing the horses and tackling Ronald Nealy and subduing him.

Once he had taken control of his pain enough to recognize those around us Ronald Nealy snarled, "What is the meaning of this? I have orders to deliver the Widow directly into the hands of Himself."

A man cloaked and bent, held upright by the use of a cane upon which he leaned heavily, came into the small clearing surrounding the trail and in a wheezing voice said, "And you have."

Ronald Nealy, despite his injuries, fell to one knee and I was nearly ill with the look of worshipfulness that he had on his face. "You promised me that if I completed this task I would be one of your Chosen."

The wheezing voice, dripping with an inappropriate humor, stated, "And you shall have that which has been promised you."

And then it came to me. I yelled, "No! No! Ronald you don't understand! You can't!"

Mad eyes turned to me and he said, "It is you who do not understand Widow. But you will." He snickered as if a good joke was soon to be revealed. My stomach rolled as I realized the joke would be upon the Sheriff's cousin … only he would not be laughing for long if at all.

The cloaked man raised a shaking hand and I could tell, even though they were hidden by gloves, that the hand encased within was deformed. "Now, now Widow. Don't ruin the surprise. After all he has waited so long for this. Striven his whole life for it." His wheezing laughter was a signal to the other corrupted players to laugh as well. And suddenly a look of confusion and concern began to enter Ronald Nealy's eyes.


	82. Chapter 81

_**Chapter 81**_

Ronald had stopped screaming, at least for a while. He'd screamed off and on through the night and most of the day. I forced myself to look his way again and irreverently an ancient joke still told at the farming fairs crossed my mind.

A traveler seeking a roof to cover his head for the night walked up the lane to a nice, tidy farm. As he came near the door of the farmhouse he noticed a three-legged pig cavorting in the fresh green grass of the dooryard. When the farmer answered the door and asked what the traveler's business was the only thing the traveler seemed to be able to ask about was the three legged pig.

The farmer answered, "That pig is the most amazing pig in the land, Sir." The farmer then went on to tell several tales of how wondrous the pig was, his feats of bravery and loyalty, how many lives the pig had saved.

The traveler was surprised and agreed, "That is one special pig. But why does he have 3 legs, is it from an injury it sustained during one of its magnificent feats?"

The farmer then said, "No Sir, ya see, a pig that special you just don't eat all at one time."

I realized that I was slipping into shock. The horror that I was witnessing, that Ronald Nealy had experienced firsthand, was beyond inhuman. I had suspected Ceena and Tonya participated in corrupt practices, had known in my heart that they had, but never in my worst and wildest nightmares during my marriage had I ever thought of anything this horrifying. I was unable to even compute the sheer magnitude of the soul destroying corruption required to perform the acts I had been exposed to on this day.

A sound had me slowly turning my head, like a hand puppet at a fair, to find a stool had been placed beside me and the cloaked man being sat upon it by two helpers who then stepped back a respectful distance. I was silent and it was he that was forced to speak first.

"You are composed beyond the expected. Perhaps the two Damned ones did their duty after all."

"If you speak of Ceena and Tonya then no, they did not corrupt me." I fell silent again rather than reveal just how close to hysterics I really was. I expected the man before me, corrupted or not, to be a formidable enemy and to try me at every turn.

Surprising to me is how short of patience he was as he snapped, "Then what? Do you think being a Harper grants you some power over me?"

"I am the one that is bound while you are free to move about … although it would appear you find it a painful process. What is your corruption? Bent bones? Tumors? Some other disfigurement you hide under the cloak you wear?"

"Infidel! Do not speak to me like you hold some high status in this realm."

He raised the cane to strike me but an unexpected wind whooshed down from the mountains that loomed over us. The flames of the cook fire danced and then went out. Ashes flew into the eyes of those near the fire causing one to stumble into the fire ring, knock over the cook pot sending boiling liquid and … and other bits … pouring onto others in the group. The coals of the disturbed fire lit a third man's filthy leggings on fire. In front of me the man's hood was blown off and away from his disfigured face that had a gaping hole where the nose should have been and I realized his lungs were so weak that he was unable to draw breath properly and toppled off his stool and began to hack and cough and claw at his throat with his glove covered hands.

The wind was gone as quickly as it had come. It was not an unusual occurrence. I've felt similar winds my whole life – like the ones that sometimes rush through the forest and catch you off guard - but for some reason this wind or the timing of it revealed a deep fear and superstition in my captors.

The man who had been intent on striking me in anger threw the cane away from him and clawed at the tree to stand. Suddenly my antipathy for this man vanished and all I could feel – despite his corrupted behavior - was deep pity. As calmly as I could I told him, "That cloak is insufficient protection. You should wear some type of covering across your face to prevent germs and debris from entering your respiratory system and making you ill. Are you not in enough pain without causing yourself more through thoughtlessness? I have some clean cloths in my pack. Allow me to …"

He drew away from me and made what appeared to be a sign of protection against me and it only seemed to disturb him further that it had no apparent effect on me. He quickly pulled his cloak up and called to his men, "We leave. Now. Put her on the roan mare."

His actions and behavior infected the others in the group and the nervous and fearful energy then infected the animals making them recalcitrant. Strangely, rather than handle me roughly as they had when they took me from my steed, I was afforded a strange respect when I was placed back upon it. That didn't mean that they removed my bonds but it did mean that I was able to seat myself in better form so that I was able to control my horse with my knees; a situation which once again put me in an advantageous position.


	83. Chapter 82

_**Chapter 82**_

We travelled for several hours and then stopped to make camp for the night. As hard as I had tried to focus on my own predicament and make a plan to escape my thoughts were continually interrupted by the picture of Ronald Nealy hanging in the tree like a field dressed deer. I will admit that despite the change in the way they handled me I wonder if my fate is to shortly be the same as his. It should have given me reason to seek an escape all the harder but it was like a fatalism had infected me.

I was left astride while several of the corrupted Borderlanders ministered to their leader who did not appear to be doing well. That's when I noticed none of them in the party seemed in very good health. I had noticed that as some passed me on the trail they exhibited a smell of purtrification, as if they had wounds that were not being tended properly. Several also looked like they were in pain though none said anything.

It was that silence in the face of so much pain and suffering that I believe bothered me the most. I wondered if they did not feel it or if they simply accepted it as the way things were … or if they viewed it as evidence of the blessings by their dark god. I berated myself for feeling any such curiosity for my captors but I could not stop feeling pity for them. It made me itch to help at least one of them. It was like something was driving me. Part of me wanted to believe it was simply my training trying to take over to keep me sane, but another part of me wondered if it wasn't something different.

I was interrupted when the Borderlander leader snapped, "What are you looking at? Believe you are so much better than we do you?"

Answering him as calmly as my nerves would allow I told him, "I wasn't thinking much beyond it irritates me to no end to not be allowed to address the wounds and illnesses I see all around me. The pain and suffering I see is completely unnecessary."

"Hah! So I heard our god's warning correctly. So you seek to take our blessings away."

Shaking my head I said, "What I see I do not view as blessings but the foolishness of men. Do your women not minister to you at all? Do you not have those amongst you that are healers?"

The old man spit, "Blasphemy! Our afflictions are badges of honor."

Trying to use logic I asked, "Then why call them afflictions? Why hide them? Why cover the seeping wounds or the twisted bodies?"

"Silence you Harper harlot!"

My outrage peeked out at being thus called. It may have not the best of sense to snap at him but I did. "Harper I am but harlot I am not! This is lunacy. By what right do you judge me and call me thus?"

"I am a Priest of the Damned! And you conspired to marry a Linder!" he roared.

Still in anger I responded, "I am not damned … at least not by your definition … therefore you are not my priest and hold no authority over me. As for my marriage, I assure you it was not of my choosing but was wished upon me … apparently with the assistance of some of your own people conspiring to bring about some silly false prophecy. And whatever could have been made of the marriage was prevented from being by your people as well … namely my sister wives and any that were their accomplices in the matter."

"You slut!" he cried in fury and raised his cane to strike me.

I do not know whether it was a conscious decision or not but my knees directed the Linderhall horse to protect me and all I could do was hold on while it spun and kicked out with its hind legs. In the gloaming darkness all I got was a brief glimpse of the self-proclaimed priest as he went flying and his men running to his aid and protection. The horse, now having a mind of its own took flight back down the trail and all I could do was hold on for dear life to the saddle as my hands were still tightly bound in front of me and unable to grab the reins.


	84. Chapter 83

_**Chapter 83**_

It felt like the horse ran for hours but in truth the beast was tired and could not have run that long, not with both me and my pack upon his back; it was just my perception fueled by fear and my inability to make the horse obey my commands. He did run out of the forest we had been traveling through and into a much rockier landscape. Of course I did not know how far out of the forest the beastie had run as by the time I could settle the roan down to stop its flight it was so dark I could barely see. I am amazed neither the horse nor I had come to trouble.

I slid off the horse's back to land solidly on the ground by its hooves. I was lucky the nervy animal was too tired to rear or even move or I might have been stomped. I stumbled through the dark until I found an area where we were out of the sand-filled wind that howled about us. I looped the horse's reins around a rock to picket it near a little grass then pulled my pack off, which seemed to cause it to shudder in relief. I found a knife in an outside pocket and cut my bonds to free myself further and then removed the saddle and tended to the animal while I took stock.

The fresh grass would work for the horse – the beastie finally settled to munching after I'd rubbed it down and tended to the few small scratches it had given itself – and I had my small stash of food in the tins, but water was an immediate problem I saw no solution for. Since it was dark I would have to do without and hope the dew that was falling would be enough for the horse until daylight would allow me to determine a good course of action.

My next concern is safety. The terrain is like nothing I am familiar with. It is possible that I will have to try and return to the forest. The stars above me tell me that I am well outside any territory that I have ever traveled in, even when I traveled by rail with my sister wives to Paduck. The stars tell me that we are east of there but I don't see how as I do not remember crossing a great river unless I was unconscious far longer than I thought. Certainly I am out of Tentukia's territory which makes me wonder how close I could be to a corrupted area. God be with me if I am. Even if I were to head straight east to get back into Tentuckia I have no idea how to cross the great river or if I would run into the very corruption that I need most to avoid.

The rocks around me are sedimentary and are of a type that I've seen in pictures. The landscape reminds me of areas where the rocks were thrown up from the ground by all the upheaval that occurred during the Destruction and Chaos. They almost look like sand castles that some giant child built and then forgot about; or perhaps mud squished up through the toes of some great and terrible beast that dried after none dared follow in its tracks.

This is ridiculous, my imagination is driving off my good sense right when I need it most. There are no monsters, and if there are beasts nearby I'm sure my skills are adequate to hold them at bay until day time.

Although upon closer inspection perhaps I should be less arrogant about my skills. Between the wind and the lack of wood a fire has been impossible to build. The warmth radiating from the rocks is nearly gone and the night is becoming quite chill. Damn them anyway regardless of my temporary compassion. Ronald Nealy may have thrown my pack on a horse – probably to make it look like I ran off on my own – but I've no coat or cloak to keep the weather off me. I would take the saddle blanket but the horse needs it. I do not wish for the animal to catch ill after the wild ride and all the accompanying lather. The horse stands between me and disaster; without its four hooves I will be left with only my two feet and the miles to return to where I belong will be that much harder to traverse.


	85. Chapter 84

_**Chapter 84**_

Why could I not keep my mouth shut?! Blasted kidnappers. Blasted horse. And blasted me for not waking when the animal pulled away and wandered off. It must have happened well before I awoke as the beast is nowhere in sight and I've looked. I even made a fool of myself scrambling up on a pile of boulders – tearing a both sleeve and skirt in the process – to try and see over or around this god-forsaken landscape.

Although Nat would likely berate me for saying such a thing. There is not a place on this earth that is truly God-forsaken, not as I mean it. I am merely projecting my own feelings of being forsaken and even that is just me feeling sorry for myself. Rather hard not to under these circumstances however. Still, I must stop such nonsense because it serves no purpose except as a hilarity for Himself Down Below.

Let me be honest with myself. I cannot sit around waiting for someone to rescue me. I have no idea where I am so it is highly unlikely that anyone else does either ... even the Borderlanders that kidnapped me in the first place. I cannot count on anyone being able to gather enough forces to hunt for me as I don't know what the outcome to the battle was at Linderhall ... or frankly that there even was a battle as I did not witness one by sight or sound. More fool me for not fighting Ronald Nealy more. I would blame being drugged but that's not excuse enough to have taken leave of my senses to that extent.

And damn the old Borderlander for being right about there being those I thought were friends that were in fact enemies. How many more will I run into? Was not Tosha enough? And how many have paid because I did not make the connections to truth earlier? What of the fate of poor Tosha and the rest of the family? Yes, I even include The Linder in that though it pains me to do so.

I hesitate to even wonder at the Sheriff's fate. Oh I do not worry that he is an enemy, he risked too much that tore his own heart and peace asunder to take my part, but I worry that ... No, I will not think the man paid the ultimate price for taking my part. I will NOT allow myself to think it. But ... but the blood. On the other hand Ronald Nealy was truly worried about something. If I had walked his shoes I would have been worried about the Sheriff. If my reckoning is right while he does not make enemies easily, those he does should step lightly for the rest of their time on earth.

Though in truth Ronald Nealy's choice of fate … no, I will not go over that horror again. Suffice it for me to admit that sometimes the road we choose to travel takes us places we never wanted to go and disillusionment can be horrific. Even if by some miracle the man is found and survives his catastrophic wounds I believe that his mind will be as excised as his flesh and that Ronald Nealy for all intents and purposes has ceased to exist. God forgive me but perhaps it is better for all if the angels take him if they haven't already.

And Nat. He lay so quietly. I was unable to wake him. Did the angels take him? I did not tell him good bye. Will he, like the rest of my true family, simply be gone from me with no warning? Must I live with yet one more death of such a dear one? No. I cannot believe that he will have to pay for my existence. Nor the Elders. Please God be merciful and watch over them all even if I am not to see them again in this life. Give me that Comfort at least.

I see no alternative, I must at least try to get to a better situation. I have found no water here and I must admit to being parched. Perhaps it is that that affects me so that I cannot seem to shake this depression. Wood is nonexistent as well even if I did wish to expend the energy to hunt the small animals that I have caught glimpses of. Perhaps they are like the forest animals during the cold months, they exist on the grasses and roots of small plants trying to make a go of it in the craggy recesses for I see no other way for them to survive.

I am also not certain even if I did hunt them and had a way to cook them that it is the healthiest activity to engage in. I have no way to ascertain if they are corrupted or have been feeding on corrupted vegetation. It is always a worry of course but certainly less so in domesticated stocks or animals of the deep forest further in Tentuckia. For all I know I could be in the corrupted depths of the Borderlands. Even if I do find my way out what future is there for me if it be so?

But as gray and lifeless as my hope feels I cannot give up. If not for myself I cannot leave others to wonder at my fate if there is a chance to make it known. And I have a responsibility to try and warn the Linders – if they still hold their status – that a corruption is deep within even their closest confidants and that the choices they now face are going to be as hard as those that came during and immediately after the Destruction itself.

So I must rescue myself though the task seem monumental. No wild sources of food and no water means I must travel by other than daylight, at least until I reach a better environment. Trying to travel in the heat of the day with no water is surely a death sentence. I shall rest here for a few hours more but as soon as the sun begins to set I will take up my pack and head east. I am not sure what I will find on my way but with God's blessing it will be better than what I have before me now.


	86. Chapter 85

_**Chapter 85**_

How do you sleep next to a corpse and not know it?

For two days I've slept the day away and done my best to travel at night. But during last night clouds began to obscure the sky and I was forced to stop traveling as I could not even see my own hand in front of my face. I felt my way to a rocky alcove of some type and tried to fix myself a place to wait out whatever oppressive presence I felt coming.

There was no light and even was less sound. My hearing was another stolen sense that I normally relied on and I hated the feeling at least as greatly as not being able to see. Even the scuffing of my boots upon the sand was muffled to nothing as if some great something was bleeding off all signs of life; sucking everything away into an abyss. There was this feeling that something was getting closer, something I did not wish to be found by. I began to feel like a small rodent trying to escape a great forest cat. I sensed it was hunting me but I just couldn't see it; knew that whatever it was it was so horrible that I did not wish to see it. I've never been this fearful even during the worst I experienced at Ceena and Tonya's hands.

I hid the best I could and said my prayers over and over. I wrapped them around me like a blanket, like a shield, like security walls, building layer upon layer. It was the only thing that came close to calming me, preventing me from run shrieking into the night. Amazingly the pressure built and built and built and then, right as dawn broke and the sun came out, it simply vanished. It was there one moment and gone the next, like a physical presence that ceased to exist and all collapsed around the vacuum it left behind from its disappearance. I was nearly sick with relief and must have actually fainted because the next thing I knew I was awakening with the fierce noon day sun in my face.

I have no idea what it was, do not know if I wish to know with certainty; my imagination is quite vivid enough. I do know that whatever it was it was real, but I cannot say with absolute certainty that is was corporeal. And yes I am willing to admit that perhaps I was not hiding from flesh but from spirit. Amongst these rocks anything seems possible. But my prayers ... or should I say Who I prayed to ... proved more than a match for whatever the nightmare was. I will leave it as it is and keep it to myself. There is no need to make others believe that I suffered some delusion or other out here in this desolate landscape.

It was upon waking that I spotted a curious sight which took a moment to connect into any kind of logic. But once my brain puzzled out a solution it only left a greater puzzle behind.

What I at first took to be a pile of rocks was in truth leather fashioned into a ... well a costume. I assume such a costume is meant for both protection from the environment and camouflage as it blended in too well with the surroundings not to be an intentional choice. Upon closer inspection I saw a small pack and walking staff sitting to the side.

"Ex ... excuse me?"

I needn't have bothered. The person within the leathers existed on this plane no longer. Strangely, though it was obvious his leave-taking was recent there was no odor of decay. It was like he had simply mummified in place. Or perhaps, upon deeper reflection, he was already so far gone in body that when death did come and his spirit escaped his twisted body, there was nothing but a dried out husk remaining.

The death depresses me yet gives me a peculiar hope as well. The old Borderlander. Ceena and Tonya's grandfather. Poor man. How he came to this place I do not know. He had alluded to a journey but had not explained himself as it was a private matter. Neither do I know how he died once he did reach this place. The only marks upon his body were those inflicted by his corruption. I do know that his physical leave taking must have been a wondrous event for him if the look upon his face was any indication. His face sought the light and I've rarely seen such a smile. Even in the repose of death and shrunken features, it radiated a nearly manic joy, as if whatever he saw was so wondrous, so pleasing, that he could not believe his good fortune to even have a glimpse of it.

Whatever his disposition, where ever his soul resides, I hope he has found peace. Or should I say Peace. I think that is what he sought even if he did not call it such. He seemed at odds with his own being, tormented by a past that I cannot even imagine having survived. And forgiveness. I hope he found forgiveness. For if such as he did, then there is hope for me as well.


	87. Chapter 86

_**Chapter 86**_

It was when I decided to bury the old man to the best of my ability and was looking around for rocks to form his sepulcher that I saw why the old man had come to this particular location. It was so small that it made no sound discernible to my ears. I looked at it and almost refused to believe what I was seeing, then I fell upon it like a ravenous beast.

A seep. So small it barely survived once it exited the rocks but one so crystal pure that it almost hurt to look at it. And cold, so cold that I know the water had to come from deep within the ground. It took an hour to fill my empty water skin and I was so thirsty at that point that I drank nearly the whole of it and then had to put the skin to refilling once again.

Water. A thing without which life is impossible. The food in my pack contained some moisture, especially the syrupy, fruited cakes that I had in a tin, but it was not enough and had I had to go one more day I would have likely failed and simply shriveled up like the corpse of the old man.

The confluence of happenstance in my story is something I would question should I read it in a book but I cannot deny that to this point this is what has occurred to me. It boggles the mind how such things are possible. All my life I have been a creature of seeing before I willingly give belief. Even my faith is something made up of the miracles I've read about and witnessed on this earth, felt in my own life, a perceivable and physical guiding force, and not of the higher flights of fancy I sometimes hear from the Brothers … and Sisters … who rely on emotion to build their faith. But what has occurred the last few days, it is stripping away something within me.

In the ancient scriptures we are commanded over and over to be strong, to be courageous. We are warned of obstacles that we cannot go over, around, or through ... on our own. The battles we face are not necessarily our own but we must still prepare to fight in them, sometimes as soldiers, sometimes as generals, and sometimes as the grief stricken observers on the side lines. But we are reminded time and again that we never fight the battles alone even when we are alone.

But it is so hard not to feel alone. I've been stripped of the comfort of others so many times ... and yet ... and yet ...

At every turn there has been someone with me and I speak not just of faith. My family was taken ... but Nat remained with me and I with him ... and even Rom during that season in my life. Yes, I will admit that he was there for me in his own fashion and I cannot not remember that fact any longer. And when those two were stripped from me and I felt so terribly alone that I was willing to fly from this life ... along came was Miz Marta and the others Below Stairs when I had no reasonable expectations of them taking me under the care as they did. And then back to Nat though I was learning to have to live without him so that he could have a life of his own. And then came ... then came the Sheriff even when I didn't realize it at first.

And here at this point, even the old Borderlander was here for me. Or perhaps He allowed him to be here to serve this purpose. So much interplay of lives that should have little to nothing to do with each other.

It is like a morality told around the fire at night. A parable to teach a lesson and to edify, something that could not and would not happen in real life because of the extremes it contained, the obvious Hand of the Guiding Light. And yet … and yet …

In the old Borderlander's small pack was a roll of parchment upon which a map was drawn. At first it appeared useless but I had nothing better to do than puzzle at it while my water skin filled. But then I recognized a strangely shaped rock that rose above my current position. The drawing was crude but too alike to be ignored. The symbol immediately beneath it … I wondered could it mean water? And then I saw rudimentary stick notations and how similar they were to the ancient signs I remember from Nat's papers he would bring home to study.

I now have a chance. Despite being in the middle of what appears to be a large desert plain I am no longer an ignorant wanderer circling space and time waiting for my death. I have a path forward. And I will start upon it as soon as I have filled the remainder of what little I have found to hold water in my pack. I will use the leather cloak the old man no longer needs. I will use the staff he left behind as well as I will have to pass across a great upheaval.

I pray that the old man found himself forgiven on Judgment Day ... and may my family be there to welcome him to a home and call him family. There is no such thing as coincidence. God had to have had a hand in all of this. I don't know what the purpose is yet. Perhaps I will never know but something tells me I will at least get a glimpse of it before the angels carry me off.

The light that will lead me along my path will be God's lesser light ... the one that he hung in the night sky. I have a feeling that whatever terrorized me before will have no power over me again. There may be other things out there, probably are, but for now my fear has been vanquished and hope has returned.


	88. Chapter 87

_**Chapter 87**_

My faith is quite literally being exercised into exhaustion. From one day to the next I seem to have wild swings. I'll climb to the highest peaks of belief and then fall to the lowest bowels of depression. I jump from contentment with my lot to anger at every step I have to make with the only pause to stop and shed dry tears of frustration. This day I can see God in everything. The next I wonder if I am not suffering from some malady that is making me delusional. I've always judged my faith deep and constant but I begin to worry that my mind is slipping. I've seen things that were not there and not seen things that I knew were.

I have no wish to die crazy, what would that say of my faith? I can hear it now. "Her emotions carried her too far beyond the commonsense God gifted her with and she fell off a cliff." Bah! Perhaps I am a little mad. The sand, the wind, the loneliness, the barely plodding pace that I am keeping … they are rubbing my mind raw in places.

I am not like those in the ancient texts that can hear God's voice like He is in the same room. Were I to hear some disembodied voice tell me that I must walk around a security wall barefoot with only a marching band to accompany me while those inside the gate howled and snickered I am fairly certain I would commit myself into the hands of the Sisters so that they could cart me off to a convent … a nice quiet convent with cushioned walls so I could be no danger to myself or others. Nor do I think I could resign myself to repose in the belly of a great water beast; and should such a monster puke me up onto the shore I would likely run screaming away from any voice rather than to it. And as much courage as I try and have I know that if someone were to tell me to stand firm and let myself be walked into an oven to be roasted for the crime of faith I would instead fight tooth and nail. I would not make a calm and accepting martyr, I am much too ornery. Even Nat has said so.

If Nat could hear my thoughts right now I think he'd likely tap me smartly and give me a lecture on blasphemy. In fact I know he would. But Nat is not here. No one is here. I have not heard another human voice … for … for? I do not know how long I've been traveling. I have lost count of the days. Long enough that all I have left is the water that I collect at each seep that I find. Long enough that all this walking has caused me some embarrassment as I've been forced to remove my under girdle because I could not tighten it enough to make it stop slipping around and chaffing my skin where it has become too large.

My body may have been strong at the start of this journey but it is getting weak right along with my mind. I do not want to seek this travel. There have been a couple of times that I've considered just giving up. But my purpose remains as it was … duty, honor, status … and yes, faith. I have to believe that if I just continue trying that in the end my walk will be rewarded in some way. Although, after long consideration I am fairly certain any reward will be in some other form than what I would first expect … or perhaps want. Things are starting to get so confused.

By all the saints I am but sixteen, why do I have to bear these terrors? Haven't I been through enough? Yet I know there are others that have been through more and worse. With every loss I experienced there has been at least some small gain. What of those other Linder wives and children that I never met? At least I have my life such as it is. At least I've never lost a child or had one born with corruption. At least I had a chance at living after becoming a Linder when so many others became a Linder only to die because of it.

In truth same for being a Harper. I've puzzled and puzzled why. Why would someone focus on these two families? The Harpers were indeed important, the Linders still are, but so were many other families in their time and place … Cormans, Lathrops, Kiplings, McConnells, and more than it is worth my time to remember. Why would the tortured curse of one man drive so many to commit the atrocities all for some half-baked idea that a Harper and Linder progeny would destroy their world? Insanity.

And control. Perhaps it is that factor more than any fact that has perpetrated this nightmare farce. And now that there is only me they are worried that their power has come to an end. I have no idea what that signifies except a lack of imagination. There are certainly things in this world more frightening than a female that trips every few steps because she's lost so much weight she can't keep her girdle up. And yes I realize that is crude but by all the martyrs it is the truth.

Sheriff? Are you thinking of me? I would give much for you to be underfoot right now. I'd give even more just to know the angels haven't carried you off. Part of me wishes with all my might that I had been bolder and spoke of these feelings I have for you directly. I hope you did not think me a coquette out to tease you. It isn't true. Before you the thought of anyone else … even now with nothing in my stomach I am close to vomiting at the very thought.

Another part of me is relieved I did not face the temptation because of the mess I would have likely made of the situation. Who am I to flirt and lure? I never did understand the silliness of that type of action. Not even when I was young and innocent and in childish infatuation with Rom would I have dared to take such steps. I would have laughed myself into oblivion or shame.

And then there is the last part that is sad because it appears I will never know the outcome either way. I plod along, slower every night that passes. My goal further and further out of my reach. What am I doing out here? Why is God doing this to me? What have I ever done to warrant this fire that has descended upon me? I am so tired. I must stop earlier than I planned. I won't make it to the next seep this night. Another goal I've failed to reach.


	89. Chapter 88

_**Chapter 88**_

I had no choice but to stop my travel. I was too tired to move about safely. It was difficult to see drop offs in the night and I had no wish to tumble head long down into a canyon and become fodder for some carrion eater.

Around me a chill mist was growing, the perfect night for children to scare themselves senseless with tales of things best left untold. I had managed to find a few, small twigs and thin branches on my hours of hiking and decided to light a fire and drive off my depression. If I could.

I looked up and discerned something moving about in the dank fog the mist had become. It melded itself into the shape of an oddly dressed man. I could not shake the feeling that I had seen him before. What am I saying?! A man?!

I called, "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

A deep and scratchy voice with an odd catch to it responded, "Do you not know me Leeda? I am your ancestor, Solomon Harper."

My shoulders slumped. I'd been expecting something of this sort but still managed to be disappointed when it happened. Then I looked up to the Heavens and stomped my foot in anger. "Was it absolutely necessary, on top of all the rest you've taken from me that you take my mind too? Must I suffer that indignity as well?!"

The man snapped, "Blasphemy!"

Not being in the mood for a lecture I snapped back, "Don't speak to me of blasphemy you malfunction of neurology! What great wrong have I committed that I should be subject to this?!"

Shaking his head causing his odd helmet and other unnameable pieces of his costume to rattle he sighed mournfully, "You do not understand my child."

I did not relish condescension, not even from a phantasm. I sneered, "I am not your child. Neither am I Abraham sent out to found a new land and people. I am not Moses to lead a people. I am not a Jonah who has disobeyed God's direction as I've gone everywhere I've been commanded to go no matter how uncomfortable. I am neither Jacob nor Gideon to be a general. I am not Esther to protect a people … and by all that's holy my husband The Linder was not a Xerxes. Acquit me of being a Saint of any type! I'm far from built for it, body or temperament. If all I want to know is why this is happening to me I will damn well ask!"

I could just see the man's nostrils flare in distaste. "Such language a lady does not use, not even in anger. Now stop throwing a tantrum and listen. Logic dictates if you are not getting an answer that you should explore whether you are asking the right question."

I stopped as if I'd been slapped. "Ex … excuse … What?"

He looked at me from beneath the visor of his helmet and asked, "What was your question again?"

"I asked why is this happening to me."

"Hmmmmm. Rearrange your point of view. Ask is what is happening really about you." He turned and started walking away.

"Wait!" I called. "What do you mean?"

He turned back briefly and with a very serious look answered, "I'm just a malfunction of your neurology remember? Any meaning I give you to ponder was already within you. But if I were you, and it appears that I am, I would change my question." He stared off into the mist and added, "And use a modicum of respect while you are asking your questions. Emotions are a natural product of the human spirit but allowed to have injudicious reign they tend to obscure what should be readily apparent when logic is applied."

I watched the figment that claimed to be Solomon Harper disappear into the mist and thought, "No wonder people thought you to be a senile old fusspot. Speaking in riddles and giving people the headache."

Malfunction, figment, spirit, or something else entirely it did not matter … he gave me pause and something new to ponder. I went back to trying to start the small fire I had laid but for some reason I just couldn't strike well enough to cause a spark. And now that I finally had the wood it was extremely annoying to be unable to complete the task. I stopped to rest and that's when I heard it, a faint cry on the night air. It sounded like a small, wounded animal in deep distress.


	90. Chapter 89

_**Chapter 89**_

I followed the sound. The fog and canyon like landscape made it difficult to locate where it came from. Would not have found it if I hadn't tripped over what I thought at first was a bundle of sticks, breaking the tip of my staff in the process. However not even the fog could hide it when I fell and came face to face with a small, obviously malnourished child.

I looked around in panic for the child's parents and that's the moment that a breeze thinned the fog out enough for me to see what I had tripped over. Not sticks. I drew my feet away and then looked and saw far more than I wanted to see. Nightmare images I shall never be free of. A killing field. Everywhere I looked the moon revealed more horror; some old, some new, all of pathetically small bodies and small rag swaddled bundles with obscene bits and pieces sticking out.

The moon also revealed it. First animal I had seen in days and it turns out to be a mangy carrion eater that looked alarmingly like a bastardized cross between a mangy cur and a corrupted porcine. The legs were longer than any feral pig I had seen in the forest. Its body matched that of a slightly rotund hound as did the fur covering its body and long, oddly bent tail. But the beady red eyes, face and tusks were surly porcine though of what breed I do not know … possibly a devil breed as I'd never seen the like and hope to never again.

It viewed me as a threat and charged before I even had time to be afraid. I scrambled to my feet and held my staff as my brothers and Nat had taught me and when the beast hit, the broken end disappeared into its eye cavity and continued until the animal finally accepted it had accidentally suicided on my weak defense. I fell to the ground and saw that it had pushed me the length of a man's height before finally allowing whatever angels tend to animals to carry it off. Given the beast it was probably carted off by demons rather than angels.

I pried the staff from the carcass – not an easy job – and then crawled back over to the child who stared at the beast in such terror it could no longer cry. I quickly checked the child over and then wrapping it in the cloak I wore stumbled out of that boneyard looking for my original camp to try and light the fire and to give some warmth to the child who felt cold near to death.

No matter how I tried my weakness made me too clumsy and the fire would not light. So instead I crawled into the small alcove I had found and tried to rock the poor thing so its terror would subside. It took an amazingly short time before I felt the child relax in my arms and drift into a slumber I prayed was dreamless. The child was even weaker than I. Doing my best to inspect it … her as I found out … without frightening the child proved easy after it fell unconscious.

Someone had cared for the child. Washed and dressed it in clean though primitive clothing. I began to wonder if I had spoiled someone's sacrifice. I'd read reports of such places as I'd just viewed. I had thought them historical anomalies brought about by religious mania or madness. It was shocking to learn that such places were still in use in our modern era. The Destruction and Chaos were far behind us. But on further consideration I realized if the Priests of the Damned could still practice their religion with such fervor it was not beyond the realm of consideration that someone would be sacrificing children to that dark god.

I thought to be away so that whoever left the child would not discover it had escaped the fate meant for it but the sun had crested the horizon and the day was already heating up. I just hope that my skin of water will last long enough that I can get us to the next seep … and that I don't run into trouble along the way.

By all the saints and martyrs combined, what am I going to do with this child?!


	91. Chapter 90

_**Chapter 90**_

I dozed and then woke when I felt something tugging on me. I opened my eyes to find a tiny face staring at me in distress.

The child was older than I had at first thought, not a baby at all but a child, small for its age. I had no choice but to turn loose and it toddled over, squatted, then relieved itself. Righting its clothes however seemed beyond its strength so I helped and as I did so said, "Well that was very smart. I had no idea you were so old that you could do for yourself in such a way."

The child watched me with bird-like curiosity then pointed to its mouth. "I'm sorry," I told her. "All I have is water but you are welcome to that. We must be careful though as it is still quite a walk until the next seep." I poured some water into a mug and held it so that she could sip. She sighed and then seemed to fall back to sleep.

It felt odd holding a child. Not unpleasant but not something I did much of during my training. It was also something I had not been taught during my first sojourn at Linderhall. I've treated plenty of children for bumps and bruises so I was not completely without some expertise in how to manage them but rarely had I dealt with one so small and obviously in need of care.

Knowing the child could not walk the distance we needed to go and knowing that I could not carrying her in my arms the entire way I began to ponder the problem only to doze off.

"Roo! Wake up!"

I startled so badly that I woke the child and almost set her to crying again. But I swear, it was just like Nat had shouted in my ear. It took me a moment to convince myself he was nowhere near, playing some prank. But it was also enough to remind me of the carrier he and my brothers had used for me. I could not build such a contraption but I could fashion a sling that would ease her burden upon my person and allow me to keep us both covered by the leather cloak.

I used the stars to get my bearing then picked out a visible point on the horizon to head towards. It is night time but the sky is cloudless and the stars and moon afford me some light to travel by. Additionally, the land is ominously flat between me and the sharp bits of rock that looked like teeth. The flatness will make it easier to travel but undoubtedly means that my goal is further away than it looks.

Slowly and carefully I exited my hiding spot halfway expecting to see something that would prevent me from getting away. There was nothing and yet I still felt watched. Gathering the child I fitted her into the sling, settled the cloak to keep out the night, and began to walk.

No matter my intent I tired in less than an hour but I knew now that the journey was begun it could not be stopped. I occasionally stumble and the child grabs me for security. It is an odd feeling. You would think it would be burdensome but in reality it … well not to put too fine a point upon it, it makes me feel important. There. Obviously I enjoy feeling more powerful and in control than I am. I know there is a lesson there but for now I will simply take what I can get. It likely has something to do with pride and arrogance. I will do my best to exercise caution in those areas as I do not wish to fall from my own foolishness.

I also need to think about practicalities … namely hunting. I cannot continue without sustenance and neither can this child. I've seen some odd tracks in my travels and I believe they belong to lizards and snakes leaving trails in the sand. I have eaten both though only domesticated breads raised for such purposes. My husband considered dessert snake in particular a delicacy. I think perhaps he more enjoyed shocking certain guests with the presentation at important suppers than the actual taste. I would say it tastes like chicken as most tried to say but in reality it simply tastes like snake, a flavor all its own.

I cannot stop this feeling of being watched. I don't sense in hostility but I will exercise due caution. I've strained my ears trying to hear anything that shouldn't be on the wind but nothing stands out. I am a creature of the forest but the skills I learned from my brothers should at least help me some out here in this wilderness. I've tried to leave as little evidence of my passing as possible. There is no sense in thinking that any of my people would be hunting me in this place. So what could hunt me would stand a good chance at being unfriendly.

I'm starting to babble. I dislike it when other people do it, I like it even less when I do it, even if I'm only doing it in my head. I wish the child would talk but she is silent. Even when she cried she didn't make as much noise as she could have. I put that down to being weak but what if it isn't? Perhaps she has a medical condition that precludes speech. I must look her over more carefully when I find someplace for us to stop for the day.

A few more hours … two, three at most. Surely that is all I will have to walk. I can hold on that long. I hope the child can.


	92. Chapter 91

_**Chapter 91**_

Dawn had crested before I walked into the shadow of the first rocky spire. The sun was approaching zenith before I found a place that the child and I could spend the remainder of the day safely. I was glad that I did too. The sky had an ominous color to it that I didn't care for at all.

"Listen Child – I'm sorry I don't know your name – but, you … you must understand. I have to rest. I can't if I'm worried that you will wander away. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The child looked at me like a curious bird and then nodded and snuggled down and strangely pulled the cloak over us both. I was exhausted and fell asleep almost instantly, not even bothering to first look for the seep. It was not long before I was trapped in a dreamscape.

It was that night again and I was being pulled down the hall to the door. Shadows flickered wildly and a noxious breeze stirred the candles in the sconces on the wall. And when I turned expecting to see my husband, instead I saw a man shape that was so dark within that it seemed to be the one causing the lights to flicker and seem dim. No matter how I fought, just like that night I could not escape. The hand that grasped my arm was so cold that it burned. Closer and closer to that door it dragged me. I knew what it wanted, not the bed but to force me to relive that hideous collect. I knew that if it happened I would wind up mad like I nearly had that night. Then the shadow hand was upon the doorknob and was turning it.

Unlike in my memory a great crash that seemed to shake the Hall and interrupt the sequence of events that had been. The Shadow was furious and tried to pull me harder and faster but the crash came again. Every time the crashing noise came the shadow's grip on me lessened dnd then there was a crash so loud the walls of the Hall began to fall.

I sat up gasping for air. My grip on the child was tight but she didn't protest as I whispered, "It's all right. Whatever it was is gone. It's all right now."

I don't know if I rocked her or myself but she seemed to understand that I needed to and when I finally took hold of myself I looked down and said, "I apologize. I hope I didn't frighten you."

She didn't answer my question but pointed. I looked and there was a horrendous storm heading our direction. Before I could really process what I was seeing the entranceway was blocked and in rushed several small bodies.

"Come Lady. The washing water is coming. We must go higher."

I wasn't sure what the boy referred to but he reminded me enough of Jude and Jode that I knew he meant no harm. Especially when he picked up my staff, handed to me and said, "Best move now." He took my empty hand and guided me out of the hole I'd been hiding in and up a steep and rocky trail.

At that moment I could not have said whether I was still in a dream or awake even if my life depended upon it.


	93. Chapter 92

_**Chapter 92**_

A fire crackled and sizzled as the juices from several snakes and lizards roasted upon it.

"Eat Lady. There's still a long way to go."

I sighed. "You know, I am still not convinced that I am not suffering a complete mental collapse."

"I'm sorry Lady? I do not know what that means."

I looked at him and gave a small grin. "It means I'm wondering if I'm not as crazy as a sunstroked mule." I shook my head. "I've seen things that I wish I hadn't and wish for things I can't have. And now I'm wondering if what I'm seeing is real or if you lot are just something that I want to see so badly that my mind is giving it to me. I don't think I could have carried on much further by myself. You've saved me."

The boy – the only one that would address me directly – smiled bashfully before turning back to caring for his bow and arrows. He was the one that, along with a boy that looked to be a few years younger, went to hunt amongst the animals that were climbing to safety to escape the flash flood caused by the storm that had only started in our area as the worst of the rushing water had crested. The rain has now stopped but all around below the spire we rested in the water is still a wild torrent and I was informed that it would be tomorrow before things are sufficiently dry to travel.

All is quiet with the other children sleeping. The only three of us still awake are the boy across from me, a girl of about the same age that watches from the alcove entrance, and myself.

I hesitated before reaching for a piece of snake that looked well done to my preference. "Are you sure the other children have all eaten their fill?"

"Yes Lady. When we are out alone we feed ourselves well. It's only the olders that try and keep us hungry."

"You mean adults?"

"Yes Lady. The olders. They send us away as soon as they can so as to not have to starve us and to harden us up. The olders mostly have too many blessings to make traveling easy so we have to look after ourselves and each other. We come and take the newest youngers when we can but there haven't been too many lately that have lived to be old enough to take. Lots of babes have been put on the field by the traveling priests and their guards. Damsie is weak but has travelled with us some. But she got a fever which got her noticed by the attention of the priests. Her olders had been hiding her, pretending she were a babe. Her blessing is that she will not grow. She don't talk much does Damsie but she did all right until the fever."

"And how old is Damsie?"

"Going on seven summers. She and Rulie – the boy that brought you the first lizard – are twins. Rulie don't have no blessing, Damsie got it all."

I was trying to absorb what he was telling me. I remember how it was in Harper. Once you reached an age where you didn't need to be carried everywhere you started your training at your family's guidance. My brothers were teaching me forest craft before Mother and Grandmother required me to start learning housewifery skills. Soon enough I was learning both when they weren't sending me to the library with Nat. Still, the life these "youngers" led was many times more difficult than the life I had led at their age. Which truth be told isn't as long ago as I sometimes think.

The boy looked at me curiously and said, "You aren't what the stories say."

Surprised I asked, "Excuse me? What stories?"

"The stories the priests tell. They call you the Devil Lady and make you out to be an older that wants to take the hearts and manhoods of men. But you're no older," he said with a shake of his head.

"Well, no … not really. And as for the other … please do not … er … mention that again. I have no wish to puke up this meal."

"You prefer women?"

"What?! Oh by the saints … um … that's not what I meant. I just mean …" I stopped completely embarrassed by the turn of the conversation. "It is rather personal."

The girl had come back inside and said, "She didn't like her match and it marked her heart."

I looked at the girl and realized while she was younger than I it was only by a couple of years. It was her stature that disguised her true age. "Um … yes. I suppose that is as good an explanation as any."

The boy nodded. "The Linder is a devil."

Not wishing to perpetuate an unhealthy mythology I said, "Well … not precisely. The Linder that was my husband was very good at his job but wasn't always … very good at anything else. Then his successor … a cousin … I never met so I can't say how good at his job he would have been but he seemed determined to be as good a man as he could be from all reports. The current Linder is considerably younger than the previous two Linders and is learning the job of being both The Linder and The Guardian are far from as easy and straight forward as some people think it is. Lots of politics and such. So no, none of them were truly the Devil … they were and are just men like any other that battle weaknesses and do not always succeed in overcoming them."

The girl looked at me strangely. "Are you interested in matching with The Linder?"

"Ew … I thought I asked that that particular topic not be brought up again."

"So you really don't want it. The Old Un said you didn't."

Curious I asked, "The Old One?"

"Used to be a priest but got took in by the Light."

"Hmmm," I muttered.

I was about to express some suspicion when I didn't have to. The boy said, "He was your watcher."

There it is again, an almost impossible coincidence. "I … I believe I found his body."

The boy nodded and the girl went back to guard. He said, "We were with him. He told us to be on the look-out for you and if we found you to take you to the river and get you safe passage back to your people. Said it was the only way to save our people. Said they wouldn't stop looking for you until they found sign of your life or death."

"Goodness. He couldn't have known where I would be. And I'm not sure anyone really cares if you want the truth."

"Don't be too sure Lady. The Old Un knew lots of things. Claimed the last couple of days before he died that the Light cleared his seeing and that he saw things others couldn't … or wouldn't. We were gonna go looking for you after we checked on Damsie but you saved her from the deadeater and took her off. We weren't for sure yet if you were the Lady or not so we decided to just follow you until we were sure. You coulda just been a Damned or a Watcher that wanted a babe."

"Such like that happens? The Damned … stealing children?"

"Ain't thought to be stealing when they do it."

The girl muttered angrily, "Is too. They stole Roj."

"Roj?" I asked.

"Hela's babe."

"Wait … Hela is the … is the …"

The boy nodded. "Let us say it quiet. She still hasn't given up finding the babe." At my nod he continued very quietly, "They matched her with one of the river men. She caught right off and called the babe when it was born Roj. He was born too perfect and there were some jealousies with the river man's other women. To settle it a traveling priest took it away and sent it to an important Damned family that had pretended to not be damned to hide in plain sight. Hela ran away from the river man looking for Roj but she couldn't find him so came back to us to finish healing up. Her chest still hurts for Roj. She has to keep it taped up tight."

"Dear Saints and Martyrs," I whispered. "Madness. Everywhere I look there just seems to be so much madness." And I wondered if I wasn't becoming part of it.


	94. Chapter 93

Chapter 93

"Lady? The washing water below has run off and the skins are all filled. Best we move now," said the boy I now knew was called Ropsy. I suspect the name may have started as Robespierre of all things in generations passed given the linked sounds of the garbled string of syllables he'd tried to pronounce for me while we'd been getting to know each other; but when he'd said to simply call him Ropsy as the other children did I readily agreed.

"Are the children rested enough to continue? Have they eaten sufficiently?" I asked as I gathered my belongings in preparation of leaving the dank cave.

I fixed the sling back under the cloak and turned to Damsie and then thought better of just assuming things. "Excuse me. I'm sorry I treated you like a babe. And I do not wish to be insulting so I'll ask. Do you wish to continue allowing me to be your steed?"

Damsie gave me an innocent grin and lifted her arms for me to pick her up. She was still unnaturally thin and I couldn't help but wish for a chance to see her filled out more. Would she be better able to keep up with children her own age or would she forever remain fragile?

Once Damsie and my pack were well set I turned to find the other children staring at me. "Oh. Should I have asked Rulie? Her brother?"

Rulie himself grinned bashfully at me and I saw a gapped space where a tooth should have been, but whether it was because he had lost it because it was time or due to malnutrition and poor hygiene I wasn't up to guessing. "No Lady. Damsie likes you. Jest …"

"Just what?"

"You're not an older, but you bain't a younger either. We can take turns carrying her as she is one of ours. We usually do."

"Well, truth be told I find Damsie's presence … comforting. She's quite a nice person and petted me quite nicely when I had a bad dream the other night. I would like to continue helping her if it isn't against your rules."

"No rules," Ropsy said. "Least not rules as you would call thems. Enough speaking now. We need to move. Hela says she saw dust signs on the other side of the ridge before the sun went to sleep, back the way we come. Could be a devil pack what got spooked by the storm or could be a Friar Dance come nosing around. Either way not something worth letting find us unless we want to go to the big dark."

The remainder of the evening and night was spent moving more quickly than I would have normally travelled even had I been at my best. How these children did so was nearly miraculous given the degradation and malnutrition that they had been subjected to. Several times I almost slipped until Ropsy found a gnarled tree and broke me off a staff to help keep my balance with while walking through steep grades of scree and gravel. About two hours before dawn – or what would have been dawn had I witnessed it – the landscape began to make a noticeable change, from the texture of the ground to the smell on the air. It was not a pleasant change.

The moon revealed a gray landscape, as if dust had settled on everything and hardened. Every step caused the ground to crunch and my foot to sink into sharp, flat rock. It reminded me of walking in a drought riddle river bottom, but this was surely no river bottom and stretched as far as my eye could see. The air was noisome, smelling like a cross between an old lye barrel and a burn pit. The area wasn't completely devoid of plant life but what was there looked tortured, bent and most definitely a sickly color. A few animals were disposed to scurry away at our approach but they too looked tortured and bent, reminding me rather forcefully of the so-called priest to whom Ronald Nealy had turned me over to.

Despite myself and all I'd been taught I became nervous, even bordering on fearful if I'm honest. Questions wanted to fall from my lips at every turn but I held them in check until the troop of children led me back through a strange cavern. Or that had been in intention only upon investigating our new surroundings my heart pounded anew when I realized what it was. "Saints and Martyrs, is this a … a lava tube?" I whispered, aghast at the very idea.

Hela answered me. "No more it is. Was during the Days of Destruction."

"This … this is a Hot Zone?"

"No more it is," she repeated.

I wanted to ask her how she could be sure of its "no more" status but one of the children took my arm to lead me deeper underground while ahead of us Ropsy whispered, "The Light must've decided to come down and help you Lady. The blockage that was here last time has slid into the abyss. We won't have to do any digging or climbing like I'd supposed."

"And … that's a good thing?"

"This will let us travel for daylight hours and not get roasted. If'n you're able to continue."

I heard the doubt in his voice and I admit my pride was pricked. Being rescued was one thing. Even acknowledging that I was feeling fear. But allowing myself to act like a complete nitwit in distress was quite another. "I can continue. However when we get to a place to rest I insist that you lot eat the last of the journey cake I have in a tin in my pack. There is no way that you can continue on with so little sustenance and …"

"Shhh Lady," Hela whispered. "The rocks come down sometimes with too much talk."

I whispered to Damsie, "I do believe that is the most polite way that I've ever been told to shut up in my entire existence. I must remember it and use it on someone else. Though when I'll ever find myself in another such cavern I don't …" I was unable to finish as Damsie's small hand drifted over my mouth. But I heard a faint giggle in my ear. I also sensed rather than heard the humor of the other children around me. I gave a quiet snort but remained silent for the remainder of that long, long trek to the surface.


	95. Chapter 94

Chapter 94

We walked for several hours after entering the lava tube, eventually coming to a point where part of the wall had collapsed leaving a convenient alcove of sorts. Of course I didn't know that until my guide pulled me into the area and Ropsy started a small fire upon which he placed a small rotisserie already threaded through with multiple lizards. I discovered they were a mainstay of the children's diet and their primary source of protein being easy to catch once even amongst the youngest of their troop.

"Where did those come from?" I asked suspiciously, having no desire to ingest corrupted fare.

"Hela captured them while she was watching. We do that when we know we'll be moving underground. Jest having done it in a while."

"You move underground?"

Ropsy continued to cook so Hela and Rulie took up the explanation. "We use the Little Darks if we be hiding from olders or the priests. Most of 'em are too small for them but for us – and you – we can move about without banging our heads."

Rulie smiled. "It were close once or twos. Why can't you see the stites and mites?"

It took me a moment but I realized he meant stalactites and stalagmites. "Are you playing a prank on me? Surely you aren't telling me that you can see in this infernal darkness."

Hela shook her head and said, "This isn't an infernal dark, thems in the hots. This is just a Little Dark and some of us can see better 'n others. Ropsy sees best as his brother did before him."

"You have a brother?" I asked.

"Did. Then he wanted a woman and went to live as an older because that is what it takes to get one. He told our troop not to come round him no more as he might have been ready to have a woman but he didn't want all the things of being an older … meaning he didn't want to have to turn on us. So he took a woman – girl that used to troop with us before her seasons were on her and she was caught and placed as a breeder – and they left to cross the river. Heard the priests …"

Ropsy stabbed his blade into the ground and turned from me, anger lighting his eyes. This more than words ever could told me that the troop of children were not Priests of the Damned worshippers. It also explained their lack of awe when speaking of them while they had spoken of the old Borderlander who had been my Watcher. A hope kindled in me that if I did ever get back to Linderhall that I could find them homes – real homes – where they might grow up, learn a trade, and live something akin to a normal life.

The meal, such as it was, was a silent affair only livened up by me pulling out the sticky journey cake and insisting that they eat what remained of it. Hela said, "You don't have to give us gifts to take you to the river Lady."

"If you think I'm bribing you think again. I was raised that a job well done, while a reward in and of itself, should be duly appreciated by those that benefit from it. And I'm also concerned that you are using up your supplies on my behalf when … well, I wish to do my part to contribute to our success."

Hela snorted. "You talk a lot of words to say things that should only take a few."

"If by that you mean that I'm talking too much again, my apologies. My brothers and my cousin often said much the same thing." I smiled at my memories of the many times they'd threatened to shove a turnip in my mouth if I didn't stop asking so many questions.

Hela realized I wasn't offended and she looked at me like I was a puzzle she wasn't quite sure had all its pieces. Finally she said, "Ropsy needs resting but he won't if he thinks you need guarding."

"I do not need a harness Hela. I may not be an older but I certainly am old enough to know when not to go wandering about. I will remain here. My only caveat and concern is that while we rest we are being followed."

Hela shook her head then looked at Rulie. "Explain it. I'm going to tend to Ropsy. And see you don't give Damsie the trotting 'mares by telling you're awful stories. We don't need the trouble."

The boy said, "Yes Hela. I'll watch the Lady. And she didn't mean to make you and Ropsy's hearts burn."

Hela shrugged and said, "We know it but that don't stop the burning."

When she went over to the far side of the alcove I turned to Rulie and asked quietly, "What did I say to hurt them?"

"You didn't hurt them, old thoughts did." To his sister he said, "Come Damsie, time to rest. Lady has been packing yours long enough. You need to lay out and let the lizards in your gut rest or you'll be sick tomorr for sure."

The alcove had a damp chill to it and Damsie was resistant to leaving my side so I made a small bed for her with the cloak I wore and she curled inside it and went quickly to sleep.

I sighed, "She needs fattening up."

"No Lady! Don't say that!"

Surprised I asked, "Why forever not? It is the lack of fat that has her feeling the cold so much."

"Had she more meat on her instead of a sacrifice, the priests would have used her as a chosen."

Understanding the euphemisms having heard them while Ronald Nealy had been tortured I shuddered. "Poor child. I certainly did not mean that I wished to subject her to that."

"I know Lady. Just like you didn't know your words would burn Ropsy and Hela. You just need to be more careful of your words like."

"Why did my words burn them? I can guess it upset Ropsy to be reminded of the loss of his brother but why did that hurt Hela?"

"The woman Torm … Ropsy's brother … run off with was Hela's sister. She had said she and Torm would find a place and then find a way to send for the rest of our troop. But then Hela's father found out and … and set a trap. Hela was captured and sent to the river man and you know what came of that. Some of the other girls were given away too. The priests sacrificed the others they captured. And we heard they'd tracked down Torm and … and you can guess that too. And then they took Hela's father for a Chosen for fathering breeders and not turning them over to the priests sooner so they'd be properly trained to know their place. That's when many of the olders …"

"They've turned away from the Priests of the Damned?"

"Naw … they still listen to 'em … they just don't listen to 'em as much. Still ain't safe though."

"But I thought your parents hid Damsie."

"Damsie yes but that be because our dame is soft in the head and softer in the heart and our sire pacifies her to keep her quiet so she don't get take away by the priests for he still wants her and none other."

That wasn't the only horrible story that Rulie told me before we both took our rest but it is the only one that I'm inclined to remember. The others I must purge or risk going mad. What these children have lived with is truly hellish, and has apparently been the normal since the Days of Destruction. If it is the last thing I do, I will do something for these children. I do not know what but surly Nat and his Order will assist me in this. Perhaps it is the one thing that my status is fit for.


	96. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Damsie was quite happy for me to carry her again once our rest period was at an end. My eyes never adjusted to the lack of light and while I was led forward by my guide I thought about some of the things that Rulie had told me the night … day? … before.

My fear that we were being followed wasn't necessarily unfounded but whoever was following us, even if they knew we took the tunnels would have a near impossible task of catching up. First was the issue of the tunnel itself. The ceilings were low and lighting was nonexistent. There were also lots of stories about the tunnels in the area … and they never seemed to end well for the adults involved. Even had I believed that the tunnel itself was an insurmountable obstacle for the "olders" I would have thought that it would have been easy to follow above ground and wait at the opening for us to come out.

Rulie snickered, "No Lady. The land above us isn't something you can travel on."

"So it IS a hot zone."

"No Lady. Was once but not the kind you be thinking."

"But Hela said …"

"Hela hasn't decided she trusts you so she let you be afeared."

"Oh really?"

There was a snort from the far side of the cave and I knew it to be true. Rather than be irritated by it I wondered if our stations in life had not been so different if she and I would have been friends. I could have used a friend like her that kept my ego in check and I was now mature enough to admit it.

"Very well … so status or no status I've been pranked. So be it. A lesson well learned not to let my imagination run away with me. I do it so rarely that it crept up on me this time. I'll be more wary in the furture. So, if it is not a Hot Zone as I thought what is it?"

"The same kind that made this tunnel."

"The same kind … you mean volcanoes?" I asked with scientific curiosity.

In a sing song voice that should have warned me Rulie began his explanation. "More like a sea of 'em so the stories say. Back during the days of the ancients there were a city above that stretched further than the eye could see. Not even the flying bone pickers could see from one end to the other in a glance and they sees most everything. During the Destruction little fires fell from the sky. But what started as little fires didn't stay that way. They met up and bred just like the deatheaters do and soon had eaten the whole city and everyone in it; but, even with all the things above consumed the firestorm continued for earthshakers that fell in another part of the land had started the Chaos. The tortured land squeezed lava so that it flowed below the burning land. Himself down below was pleased with the Chaos and added his own fire to the mix. The land that was caught betwixt and between the three great heats stood no chance and it melted and a great molten sea was birthed for the Light to see and be shamed by. Some say – though they be careful who should hear it – that the Light was not shamed but had compassion for the land and took pity on it. The Light then moved the Great River for a time to put out the fire that stretched even further than the city had once stretched. But, if you listen to the Priests they say that though the Light sent the river it could not completely take the land away from Himself and that it has forever remained twisted and tortured with Blessings and will forever more remain that way as it is so broken there is no healing it. And any who walk it become likewise tortured and blessed and a part of Himself's army of the dead."

Having been tormented upon many occasions by my brothers with campfire tales I clapped and told Rulie, "Very good. I'm sure that is one of the tales that have lead many to have the … er … trotting 'mares that Hela warned you off giving to Damsie. You are a very good story teller. I must say it compares quite favorably with my brothers' tales of rabid forest cats and noisome ghouls that tend to crop up in places that someone was warned off trodding."

"Aw Lady … weren't you scared even a bit?"

I heard a couple of quickly covered up snickers from the general vicinity of Ropsy and Hela. "Actually it does give one a delicious shiver but the reality is that even if such things happened, they happened well in the past. My concern is for today and why would such a tortured land suddenly be a boon to us."

"Wellll … if you want to be true-ful about it and take all the fun out …"

Hela appeared out of the dark and gave Rulie a good sized start which caused me to have to bite the inside of my check to keep from laughing. Hela, for all her heartache and seriousness, still had room for a little fun of her own. She gave Rulie a smirk and took over the narrative. "It's the land. The bit of badland we crossed earlier be like the Land of the Light compared to what's above us. It ain't but black glass that with every step becomes shards so sharp that it cuts through even the best leather and wood. Used to be traders would go through with metal or wooden shoes to get shards to bring back for the nappers but no more as everyone has forgotten how to make sech protective things. Easier now to trade for blades and bits from the river men who get it from other people. Before he became a Chosen my da had a knife that belonged to some great da or other made from that black glass. Wasn't much that knife couldn't cut but it was especially good at cutting flesh. They used it on him when it was time and one of the priests liked it so well he took it with him rather than turn it over to the Mayor as such things were done before."

Trying to be understanding without sticking my foot in an uncomfortable orifice once again I told her, "I have a fang my father made my mother when they were first married. I still carry it. As much for its sharpness as for its memories."

Hela nodded. "You have it close?"

"Always."

Hela nodded again, this time with approval. "Then keep it close Lady. We may have need of it before this journey is over. I went a ways ahead and I can hear wind where there has been none in all the times before. Could mean a collapse of one of the minor tunnels that branch off."

"Is the land above us truly so … so …"

"It be a dead land Lady. There's no animal that can trod it without bleeding out. Because of this not even the carrion eaters bother flying over it. Not a plant can take root because no sooner does a root grow than it is cut from the seed. The worst though is there is no water. However the melted land was cooled, it used up every drop around and is so dry that it even sucks the water away from the lesser lands around it. So, it isn't beasties we need to worry for but the ever-loving, water-sucking wind. If it weren't so late and the need for sure feet so great for the rest of the path I'd say we keep on right now rather than risk losing any more moisture."

Rulie asked worriedly, "Are the water skins empty?"

"No, but it may be we thirst badly before we come to the other end. So do the best you can and make sure the Lady does as well."

Worries behind us, before us, and walking with us. I've tripped so many times that Ropsy had to take Damsie and carry her while Hela took point. And yes, the water skins are now well passed empty.

From parched lips I said, "My apologies. I'm not normally so clumsy. If I could just see where to put my blasted feet."

"No apologies Lady. You are who you are and we are who we are. You've done way better than we thought you would. We considered whether we'd need to put you on a litter and carry you through like we sometimes had to do when we had more youngers with us."

Lovely I thought to myself. At least I didn't have to get carried like Damsie. But I will be pleased to leave this trail of pitch blackness. And … by all the Saints and Martyrs … is that a light ahead?


	97. Chapter 96

Chapter 96

The children stared out from the opening of the tunnel in trepidation. "This … this weren't like this last time."

"When was last time?" I asked.

"Been a full turn and a piece since we comed this way because of the collapse."

Assuming by a full turn and a piece he meant it had been a little more than a year I made sure to clarify, "The collapse that isn't there any longer."

Ropsy nodded. "Yes Lady, the one that fell into the abyss. This … this weren't like this last time. It … it be like the tunnel now opens up on a new place. Perhaps the Light moved it like It moved the collapse." There was a collective shudder amongst the children and I knew I needed to put a stop to the ridiculous superstitious reaction immediately.

I shook my head feeling much more confident than I had since I'd first been kidnapped. "Nonsense. Tunnel openings do not simply move of their own accord. And while I agree that the Light could do such a thing I'm sure that a better reason than scaring us would need to be apparently. Are you able to tell me where we should be by your reckoning?"

Ropsy continued to stare out on the landscape in stupefaction. "Huh? Oh … oh wellll …"

It was Hela that recovered first and told me, "I tried to tell him that the signs and markers had all changed between the river and the Borderlands. He didn't believe me. The river man that had me said it was because the river had split in two during the drought and when the rains came back the river didn't heal but split into two separate rivers that travelled on either side of a long island that raised up between them. It now looks like a snake that has split in half. It still runs out into the big water in the Southerlands but it comes out in two different places from where it used to."

"Yes, so I had heard as well," I told her. "It was a drought and a minor earthquake combined. And honestly Rulie uncross your eyes before they get stuck like that. You act like you've never seen trees before. I admit it is likely a startling event but there is no need to come all undone over it. These trees are called willows and since they are a type of tree that enjoys what my father called wet feet – meaning their roots are drawn to the dampest of soils – I would say we must be very near to a source of water. Whether it is something that can be made potable is another matter. I've heard that some of the river is now brackish from running through the heavily mineralized soil in its new pathway."

The children looked at me and I sighed. "Am I talking too much again?"

Ropsy shook his head. "No Lady, just nothing you're saying makes much sense."

"Oh. Well, the land that the river now runs across had salts in it. When the water ran across the soil, it became mud and released the salts it held. The water now contains the salts and because it is both salty and fresh it is called brackish. As for this forest of trees that seemed to appear from nowhere, I would say it is that the river water has saturated the ground for a long ways and brought willow seeds with it. Willows grow quite quickly, sometimes more than ten measures in a year. Is that explanation better?"

Ropsy shrugged and said, "Some."

But rather than completely reassure them the children continued to hover inside the tunnel entrance. I squared my shoulders and said, "Well now it is my turn. You took care of me and now I'm going to help take care of you."

"Lady?"

"We are in need of sustenance. I know forests as well as you know the Borderlands … even if this is just a willow forest. You wait here and I'll see what I can do about bagging some local game. It might just be squirrels or a few crows but we should be able to piece it out and make it something acceptable. I see both lamb's quarter and some edible mushrooms just beyond that bolder over there. You gather those and I'll bring us back some meat and we'll string some kabobs and have a salad to go with it."

They didn't want to let me go and I made them promise not to leave unless great danger presented itself, but finally we agreed to a compromise; I was to take Rulie with me. Damsie was not pleased but I told her that it would likely be her turn next time since apparently I needed a watcher to be allowed out of sight since I was too big for a harness.

Ropsy said, "Aw Lady, it is just we promised your old watcher we'd keep you safe and get you back where you belonged."

Sighing I responded, "A good trick that when not even I know where I belong these days. Be that as it may I thank you for your concern. I will return as soon as possible." Turning to Rulie I said, "You prank me and I'll pinch you such that you will build a story about it to keep your children and children's children in line. We need food and I've no desire to go hunting you up if you should wish to hide."

His eyes got real wide, "No Lady. Never. 'Sides Hela would have my skin for new boots should I do such a thing. And by the look on Damsie's face she'd likely fight Hela to see who got to wear 'em first."

I looked and sure enough they were staring daggers at the young boy which gave me to understand that if the situation had been a different one he could be quite … er … lively.

"Good. Now come along and stay quiet."

It was an hour later and I'd almost given up on meat when suddenly we were be pelted with things from the trees. Ooooo, how I hate monkeys. I did manage to spear three young males of their species before having to retreat. Rulie seemed quite shaken by the encounter at first but by the time we neared the tunnel entrance his bravado had returned and he was prepared to tell a colorful tale.

We were about to step onto the rocky path when I wrenched Rulie back. There near the entrance Ropsy wrestled upon the ground with a young man. There was no time to waste. I dumped the game and my pack, pulled my fang and rushed forward. I was about to plunge the fang into the back of the attacker when Hela and a young woman grabbed me.

"Stop! What are you doing?! I must …"

Hela cried, "It be Torm Lady … it be Torm!"


	98. Chapter 97

Chapter 97

"Torm? But … well this is certainly a coincidence. And just what is Torm doing here when the last I heard he was supposed to have experienced his personal Judgment Day?" I asked, letting them know how uncomfortably coincidental I found this meeting.

Ropsy and the young man who they claimed was his brother Torm stopped their wrestling about, stood up and while I gave them a stare not even Ceena could have bested, they brushed themselves off and began to comport themselves with more seemliness.

Ropsy gulped and said, "Lady … this really is Torm. I swear it. And there's no dark to it. That I swear too. Your old watcher told them to be on the look out for us."

I crossed my arms and the young woman that had assisted Hela quickly stepped to Torm's side. "And am I to assume that this is Hela's long lost sister as well?"

Hela stepped forward and spoke for her. "Yes Lady, this is Kizzie.:

The young woman looked at me like I was something to be feared and that only irritated me more. "Oh honestly, must you look at me like I'm going to …" I nearly said eat you but stopped myself from putting my foot in the wrong orifice just in time.

Torm put his arm around the girl who looked to be about my age and muttered, "He said you'd be foul as a river pirate."

Becoming incensed I asked, "Who … is … this … he?"

Knowing I wouldn't like the answer, I had it confirmed when he replied, "Your watcher."

I rolled my eyes and nearly through my hands up. "This is getting ridiculous. First he shows up out of the blue, telling me tales that are beyond possible to believe including threads of my own story I still find fantastical. And he apparently knows I'm going to be carried off but doesn't warn me except to say some of those I trust weren't to be trusted. Which I knew only it turns out was not not trusting the wrong individuals. He ever so kindly fades into the mist. And while I deal with the consequences of his visit turning my life upside down he somehow travels untold miles in a very limited amount of time, tells you that we'll be coming out here … when I didn't even know … sets these children the monumental task of finding me out in the middle of a desert of the Borderlands and then dies right where I can find him … leaving me a mystery along with a cloak and map that save my life at which time I also was just in time to save Damsie's which given everything else may have very well be set up by him as well. That doesn't even cover the fact that he was the grandfather of my sister wives and the owner of Nanny, my steed … or she was only now I'm not sure except that I hope someone is taking care of her." I went to kick a stand of dandelions only to find they hid a good sized rock and spent the next few moments hoping around on one foot and trying to remember my upbringing, dignity, and status.

By the time I was through Damsie and Rulie both were howling with laughter, the young lady with Torm was smiling along with Hela and Ropsy, and the young man named Torm was trying to get me to sit down so he could see whether I had broken anything.

"Well excuse me," I said in embarrassment. "While I appreciate the thought, especially given my recent mad behavior, I am not going to just let a man look … look …"

Hela pushed Torm back and said, "She ain't broke. Bruised maybe, but not broke. She can mind her limp with the staff Ropsy cut for her before we entered the tunnel. She's not near so clumsy with it as she was." And didn't that statement aid my pride.

Suddenly there was a yip from the bushes and a small, tusked animal rushed out heading straight for where I remembered throwing the game. I growled, "Oh no you don't." I threw the machete I had tied to my belt and cleaved the beasty in the throat where it tumbled end over end, finally falling well short of its intended quarry.

I limped over but Torm jumped in front of me. "They ain't always as dead as they play at and run in small groups. You lot, gather up all the gear, we need to head to safe ground."

"I am not leaving the game. The youngers need sustenance."

Torm gave me a considering look but nodded. Upon closer inspection I saw that he looked older than I but that could have been a result of what he had been through. Though Rulie was but seven he certainly acted older than similarly aged children that I had been exposed to in the village school … but then again so had I at that age so my estimations may have been off. Torm's next nod was approving as he saw I'd already field dressed my kills.

"Run into a troop did you?" he asked.

"Hmmm. I will let Rulie tell that tale."

Torm snorted. "Take it he ain't changed much. Rulie always has liked a good story. And Damsie. I'm surprised to see her."

"That story I will leave to Ropsy or Hela," I said, anger at the circumstances still having the ability to bring my anger beyond my status wall.

Quietly Torm stopped me and said, "Lady … your watcher really did set us here to wait. But … but we normally be living at … at a nearby church."

I heard a collective gasp of shock from the others. But I sensed that he had told me so for more than just affect. "A church? What order?"

"No order, just laymen brothers and sisters that come together to help those in need. They call themselves brothers and sisters serving compassion." I winced. I knew the sect and knew they were as dedicated to pacifism as they were to compassion. He added, "Kezzie and I were both hurting – in body and spirit – when they found us chained down to feed the carrion eaters of this place. They rescued us and took us in. We've learned … we've learned not all we heard has been true-ful. What doubts we still had were set aside by your watcher. The Light had touched him and it was something to see."

Carefully I picked my way through the various possibilities that stretched away from me and asked, "Would it be possible for me to visit this church?"

"It would Lady and they would welcome you. Only …"

"Only?"

"The priests of the damned already make their lives hard. Should word get out that they helped The Lady …"

I sighed. I wanted to believe him but I'd been played a fool not once but twice in the recent past … first Tosha then Ronald Nealy … and it was hard to put faith in something that had not yet been proven to my satisfaction. "First off, please do not call me 'The Lady' like I am some unholy saint of the ancients. I am just me … Leeda Harper Linder … and I am quite human I assure you. If you don't believe me just ask the ch … er … the youngers. If not for them I would have been dead many times over. Hunting was my first try at repaying their kindness to me."

"Yes Lady."

I ground my teeth and briefly closed my eyes. This was going to take longer than I was going to care for.

"Next, I do not wish to put those dedicated to compassion in danger. However, is there anyone else local that is able to send word to my cousin that I am indeed alive and endeavoring to return to him?" I had almost named the Sheriff as well as Nate but allowed diplomacy to rule my mouth if not my heart.

"We'll do better than that. We'll take you to the river so you can cross and tell him yourself."

Not daring to allow my hope to expand beyond my good sense I asked, "How close to the river are we?"

"New Paduck be fifty clicks away … a few day's travel this time of season normally … but we'll need to cross before there which means we'll have to cross both rivers which will add its own time to the trip. The way is longer but the priests have a strangle hold on New Paduck on this side and still have a lot of influence in Old Paduck on the other side even with The Guardian's Army wrapping it in their own tight fist."

"What?!"

"Aye Lady … your kidnapping and reported murder started a war with both sides claiming that the other did the deed."

"By all the Saints and Martyrs!"


	99. Chapter 98

Chapter 98

We had travelled several miles, following Torm and Kizzie to a small hovel hidden in the lee of a tumble of boulders. "This is where we stayed before the priests found us. It is still a likely place."

I saw someone scurry away and stiffened but Torm said, "That was a Sister. She … she was one of the Damned. But she converted when a river man … one who didn't follow the ways of the priests … bought her … she's got an ugly face from an accident that killed her first husband. He was kind to her as he only wanted some companionship when he was in port and always made sure she was taken care of. She said she came to believe as he did and when the kind river man took sick he became so worried for her that he took her to the Compassionate Ones and lived with her there until he died. She decided to stay with them and take up their ways … but she still shies away from most folks. But she's taught us some things and still looks after us from time to time."

The children were still rattled at the differences in their surroundings. The jumped at every little noise. I shook my head and told them, "Just sit and stop running around like jackthumpers. You're doing nothing but scaring each other."

Rulie asked, "But what of the great forest cats you told me about."

"I am beginning to wish I hadn't said a word. Look, no matter where you go there are beasties and men that would see you have a swift end but half the issue of battling them is confidence. Not over confidence you little tree rat," I snapped when he stood up and started strutting. "You look like a pheasant out to find a mate. Sit down and if you must do something, reach behind you and pulls some of that tall dry grass and twist it into a hay log."

"What's a hay log?"

I showed him and then said, "The whole lot of you might as well take up the task. I'm going to need quite a few of them if you wish me to cook our meat into something respectable enough to eat. Unless of course you wish to do the honors Kizzie?"

She quickly shook her head and looked at Torm in fear that I did not understand but put down to thinking that she continued to worry that I was some nasty bit of something come to drag her back to the miserable life that she'd barely escaped.

While the children twisted grass, and Torm and Kizzie went inside for a moment to ready a sleeping area, I dug out my axe head and looked for a suitable limb to turn into a handle. The talk of forest cats had me feeling unclothed without my trusty tool.

Soon enough I had one and while I worked I muttered as the supposed facts I had recently learned floated around making me wonder at them on one hand and then curse them on the other. The cursing began to win out and my irritation soon had me swishing the newly handled axe around to test its weight and apparently I had also begun to repeat myself.

"I will not be used in this manner. If such is the ego of men that they wish to pound on each other until one, the other, or both are dead then so be it but to return to the Days of Destruction and the Chaos because they cannot even have the patience to ascertain the truth …"

"Ye already said that Lady," Rulie said on a long suffering sigh. "Pick another story please will ya? The work'll go faster if you come up with sompin' new to entertain us with."

"Rulie!" Torm snapped coming outside to see what the ruckus was about.

I shook my head and sighed. "Actually he is correct. I am sure that my histrionics are getting tiresome. I simply do not understand any of this. The status of my status – and isn't that a ridiculous phrase if ever there was one – should not have led to any kind of war; some other political game must be in play."

Torm shook his head. "I don't know this politics you speak of but if there is a game it is a dark one. Word has it that the priests have promised … dark things, unspeakable things … for the people that follow them. Promised all that will listen that the Dark One will bless them mightily and make them great amongst men."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, such men often make those promises in hopes of ensnaring enough fools to follow them."

"That be the problem Lady. There be plenty of fools; some of them coming from all over the Borderlands looking to profit however they may."

"For example?"

"Great boats were stranded in both Old and New Paduck by the changing of the river. They were sunk in the mud and just barely holding onto their cargo. They're still sunk in the mud but the cargo that were in New Paduck has now been took by the Priests and their followers. Much of the cargo that was in Old Paduck was took by the Guardian's Army and put into safe keeping – or so they say – which didn't make the Priest-followers over there none too pleased."

"Let me guess. The priests claim their dark lord created the victory in New Paduck to 'bless them' so that they could fight for him. They say their followers in Old Paduck simply must not be as good or haven't sacrificed enough that they've gotten notice. Now the fools in Old Paduck are out to top the antics of the fools in New Paduck and everyone suffers for their stupidity."

Torm scratched at a pimple on his chin making me want to slap his hand away. "Ye mayn't be one of the Damned but you've got their pulse right enough. But it ain't just the priest-followers and the Damned that be playing in that game. Like I say, others from the Borderlands are come to see if they can take a slice of Tentuckia for theirself."

"Hmmm. I'm not sure I like the insinuation that I know the Damned that well, but I will let it go. According to my cousin who is a Brother in the church, men are men … with a multitude of fallacies and foolishness within each one. Women too for that matter. My status is proof that you don't have to knowingly follow himself down below to still wind up his hand servant if you aren't careful."

Hela said, "You be talking about the Linder. The one what were your husband."

"Yes," I bit out more sharply than I had intended. Then I sighed. "He was a sick, old man. He died a painful death, some of which was from his own foolish choices. He and his memory are to be pitied."

"Why?" Hela asked. "He hurt you. Scarred your heart."

I suspected she was thinking of the river man that she had been given to. I told her, "Because I've recently been reminded of lessons I learned as a child at my grandfather's knee; lessons that in my anger I ignored at my own peril that eventually have led to more pain than had I …" I stopped and shook my head. "I'll likely have to continue to remind myself until something comes along to fill the empty space up but … here it is. We do not forgive for the sake of others but for our own sake. None of us are perfect and if we wish … well, you call it The Light. The Light forgives but to be forgiven we must replicate that gift and forgive others … we must practice it so that we can come to a greater and greater understanding of the place The Light has in this world and in our own hearts."

"I still don't understand."

"OK, how's this? When we get hurt most people's instinctual reaction – myself as well – is to hold onto the hurt and save it up. To take it out and look at it and pet it and nurture it so that it grows because somehow that makes us feel like we are in the right. The problem is once such a thing starts growing it gets out of our control and takes over … we no longer control it but it controls us. It grows to a size that weighs us down, uses us as fertilizer, so that eventually the only thing left of us, in our life, is the pain. All the good and the Light – all our purpose – fades away. And without Light, what is left?"

The children whispered, "The Dark."

"Precisely. Forgiveness is one of the first ways that a person learns to defeat the forces of darkness in their life. Because as you forgive, that pain can never take hold to grow and conquer you. Forgiveness is something the dark is not proof against."

"You make it sound so easy."

"Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn't. Mostly I begin to think it takes practice. It certainly becomes easier when you realize that the forgiving you do is for your own benefit … makes room for the Light to come in. And where there is Light, there can be no Darkness."

"Some things … some people … are fair hard to forgive. And I'm not sure I want to."

I nodded. "I agree Hela. It is a lot easier to forgive some things than others. And for me the forgiving of The Linder … the one that was my husband … has not been easy. Strangely enough however, I believe it was the awful walk through the desert wilderness that helped me. It stripped me of … foolish thoughts, fears, my own arrogance in some respects. Mostly I began to understand things I couldn't before. The Linder is dead and putrefied. I've learned more things about him since his death than he ever allowed me to learn while he was alive." Looking off towards the setting sun I said, "I could have been a good wife. I tried to be a good wife even when I wasn't sure what that meant. He didn't want a wife, but a … a plaything. I was never more to him than a pawn in whatever madness had overtaken him. And he was sick … both physically and mentally … and I believe spiritually as well. I've been told by a person that I … trust … there is proof that he was in the end, at least somewhat sorry for some of his actions. Only now he is gone from this life and cannot make up for the wrong he did and has already answered for it at his Judgment. And only the Light rules on such things and I'm better off minding my own destiny than worrying about someone that has already met theirs."

"But the one I hate … he ain't dead. I wish he were. I wish they all were. They took Roj."

I happen to catch an odd, worried look that passed between Torm and Kizzie but held my tongue. But Kizzie saw me catch them and she bit her lip and then started crying.

Hela rushed to her sister and petted her, thinking she'd upset her with her hatred. "It weren't your fault Kizzie."

"You'll … you'll take him," she said muffled into her shirt sleeve.

Torm looked sad but seemed resigned when he said, "It's only right Kizz. We knew it when the old man gave him to us."

"But … but they made it so I can't begat. We'll never …" She cried all the harder. And that's when I heard it. A tiny cry coming from below the floor.


	100. Chapter 99

Chapter 99

"Kizzie?" Hela asked. "Kizzie!"

"It's not like you think. We weren't keeping him for the pot! I swear it! I would go to the big dark before anyone were to … to …"

Hela ran over and started to try and rip up the floor boards. Torm came over and gently pulled her back. "Here now. He ain't used to that kind of ruckus and you're dumping sand all over him. Come. There's a hidden way."

"Show me! Show me now!"

While Torm quickly walked over to a built in bench at the side of the room and lifted the lid, Kizzie held herself and rocked to and fro. I looked at the children who stood in shock, and I didn't know which direction to move. Was I to comfort or would it be best for me to stay out of it? Did I have an obligation here or would anything I do only make the situation worse?

Then there was a cry of joy from below us and Kizzie buried her face in her hands and somehow made it feel like her sadness nearly sucking all of the air from the room. Not a one of us dared breathe.

I don't know how long the tableau would have lasted but suddenly Hela was running into the room and over to Kizzie. "We have him! We have him! He'll never be a Chosen and they'll never have him … because we do! Oh … the Light of it! The Light of it!"

Hela was dancing around with a complaining bundle in her arms and then pulled Kizzie up but had to stop when she noticed her sister nearly frozen with emotion. "What? We … we always take care of the Littles together. Always. Didn't we take turns carrying Damsie when we weren't much more than the younger she is now? And Rulie and all the others? Didn't we?! Don't … doncha want to … do it no more Kizzie?"

"You'd … you'd let me share in the carrying of him?"

"Don't be stupid," she smarted off, lightly pushing her sister's shoulder. "Just 'cause you think you're an older doesn't mean I think you're an older. We always did the carrying together. Made the load lighter and the sands easier to cross."

I stood there in awe. I expected a horrible melodrama and yet what was playing out was more like a moral story my Gram would have told. The simplicity of it. The purity of it. All of the bad that could have come out of it and yet it never seemed to stand a chance to take hold. It was only Kizzie's fears and those were obviously being laid to rest at Hela's assumption that her sister was naturally going to be an equal caretaker for the boy.

I glanced at Torm and he and Ropsy stood together as if they too were in essence two halves of a whole sharing duties, protectors whose responsibility was to keep the dark from overshadowing Kizzie and Hela and now Roj. After some thought on it I supposed it to be a continuation of their roles when they were all together as youngers in the Borderland desert. And I was correct per my conversation with Rulie later. But first I saved the meat from burning and the herbs from wilting and though the food was shared out of a communal pot, for once there was more than enough to go around.

Later, after everyone had gone inside the hovel, I needed room to think and that I was not going to find in there. I like children – or at least I'm pretty sure I do given my limited exposure to them en mass – but the cooing and attention, and the regaining the tight fit they once had as a "family" left me feeling like a loose wheel on a sanitation wagon. But privacy to think I was not to have for long.

I felt a tug on my skirt and turned to find Rulie looking at me with concern. "Yer heart ain't hurt over Damsie only wanting Kizzie is it? She don't mean nothing by it. Jest … see Kizzie … she …"

Trying not to sound fretful I told him, "Absolutely not. You bunch are a family. Perhaps an unusual family but a family nevertheless. I'm happy for you, all of you, it is merely the circumstances that are giving me heartburn. That old man and his mysterious knowledge … it bothers me."

"I thought you believed in the Light."

"I do. And were my cousin here he'd probably be reading me a sermon that amounted to something like not looking a gift horse in the mouth."

"Wots that mean?"

"It means I should be grateful for what I've got and to stop fretting that it came about in unexpected circumstances."

"Yer cousin sounds … er …"

"Yes. He has an abundance of good sense and I love him more than words can say, but it does get irritating on occasion trying to live up to such magnificence."

"If you say so Lady."

"I do. Now back inside. The bugs are coming out."

"Hah … these bloodsuckers are nothing compared to the ones back the other way."

"Maybe I agree with you, but you are not proof against the fevers they can sometimes bring so don't make me worry over you. Get back inside. Besides, you'll make the others wonder if you are having to babysit me because I'm pouting or something embarrassing like that."

"Aw … you ain't so bad as that anymore. For an older you learn pretty fast."

"Oh. How … sweet," I told him trying to keep a straight face.

"Wellllll … I'll be going in now. I just wanted to make sure you weren't being a girl and crying and stuff."

"Thank you," was about all I could manage and he turned and went inside.

As soon as I was sure that no one could see I nearly doubled up with the effort at not laughing. Once I had taken myself in hand I sat upon a rock and gave my situation some thought. My hilarity soon retired as I realized while in one sense I was much closer to my goal, in another I was as far away as I had ever been.

War. What a ridiculous faradiddle. Over me. That was even more preposterous. It couldn't be. I don't accept it. Perhaps a few are using me as a figurehead of some type – and excuse as it were – to set in motion what they'd spent so long planning. Who by all the murdered Saints would possible start a war over me?


	101. Chapter 100

Chapter 100

We were all staring at the destruction before us. "What has happened? Another earth shaker?"

"No Lady," Torm said in consternation. "We'd a felt something big enough to do this around here. Only thing that I can think of is that this came from upriver and was pushed here by the current."

I nodded. "I agree with your assessment. My concern is how do we cross without falling into disaster?"

Giving it a quick thought Torm answered, "By going downriver. We've no choice. It'll mean more time but this is nothing I'd trust to put a foot on. It stretches as far as I can see in both directions. It couldn't have been here long – Kizzie and I were doing a looksee here day before we met ye. Yet look how the bit of water going around it has already tore up the island. Wouldn't take much for one side to tear away from how 'm so ever it be anchored and start moving again and no telling how fast."

So we walked; only instead of upriver as we had planned, we went down. And we did it baring the canoe that Torm had secreted for just the purpose of crossing.

It took most of the morning and the early part of the noonday to hike to a point we could cross with relative sureness. It was exhausting and hot work and the bloodsuckers were thick and not averse to taking what they weren't freely offered. Where we stopped the water was somewhat clear of debris. That isn't to say it was without danger.

"Ooooo … lookit Torm," Ropsy said, sounding as if he was sick to his stomach. "Giant lizards. We'll never been able to loop and trap these uns. Never seen the like."

"Alligators," Torm and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and nodded, acknowledging there was plenty of danger ahead of us.

Slowly so as not to create attracting noise we placed the canoe in the river. Torm turned and gave the orders. "Listen you lot. This can be just as dangerous as the rushing water back in the Borderland. The currents ain't always trusty and those giant lizards have the same bite as a deatheater and more teeth to do it with. Their tail is just as bad and it takes more than a poke to break through that hide they wear like armor. As fer their disposition … think of it the same as you would a dark priest with cancerous rhoids."

"Now really Torm …" My face must have been something to behold as both Damsie and Rulie suddenly got a fit of the giggles. The others twitched there nose trying not to smile the same as a mouse twitches its whiskers. "Wellllll," I said. "While I'm sure the descriptors are accurate, they wouldn't exactly pass my comportment teacher's test for polite company." Then I winked. "Of course she isn't around and were we in company of my grandfather … it is likely he'd be braying louder than Rulie here. Still, we'd best mind Torm's cautions to use our heads for something other than a place to put a hat and do as he says."

Torm nodded as he'd picked up on the fact that I was trying to calm the younger of the children. Even Hela and Ropsy were less frightened though they still showed a lot of caution. We put Kizzie in the middle holding Roj. There was some debate but eventually all agreed that it was best if Damsie went back in the carrier that I had fashioned and yet wore. Hela took Rulie and placed him behind Kizzie. Torm and Ropsy took the front. Then Hela and I had some disagreement.

"Hela, you've never piloted a water vessel."

"And you have?" she asked angrily.

"Yes. Forests aren't completely devoid of waterways and I've done my share of paddling. Plus you need your hands free."

"What fo … oh."

She understood what I was referring to but it was Torm who decided it. "Hela, behind Rulie. Lady if you can pilot while I plow it'd be best." It meant getting my feet wet as I was the last one in but I barely had to push off from the bank the current pulled us in so strongly.

We were nearly across the wide section when trouble found us. "Torm," I called calmly. "Best put your back into it."

He cursed rather creatively but gave up trying to be quiet. I was somewhat hampered by Damsie's position, she'd moved around a bit, but I too was using muscle and bone to propel us toward the shore. Then there was a slap against the side of the canoe and Kizzie yelped and grabbed the walls to keep her balance.

"Everyone for the love of all, keep your hands inside this instant!" Luckily my tone had enough of Sister Evelyn to it that they all obeyed for another a second later instead of a tail we got a head rcking the side of the canoe.

I said, "I think they are simply curious at the moment but …"

"But I ain't interested in giving them any more to think on than what they've already got," Torm snapped as he had to raise his paddle to keep it out of the grip of a playful gator. "Push Lady, give it all ye've got and aim us for that sandy bit over there. You others, as soon as we hit land you go to the front and head for that stand of trees and climb like adders."

We hit the shallows just in time. There was a terrific lurch in our craft and amazingly we sliced several feet up into the sand before coming to a standstill. Torm started pulling everyone out and pushing them towards the trees. I had just put my foot on dry land when I made the mistake of looking back. Several gators were swimming our way at an amazing speed, even leaving a wake easily visible from shore.

I heard a cry followed by a curse and turned around to see that a gator had come from the reeds along the shore line and was taking aim at Kizzie and Hela. Yelling in fear I said, "Go! Help Ropsy! I have these two!"

I grabbed Rulie and started pushing him ahead of me. More gators were coming out of the reeds. For the beasties to be cold blooded water dwellers they could move faster than I had ever wanted to test. Certainly faster than I could run. One of the few good things I remembers from my time in Old Paduck was an old fisherman telling me that the story of running zigzag to get away from gators was a myth. "They'll jes gets you faster thataways."

I had to acknowledge I would never make the trees hampered by my weight loss, loose girdle, and skirts because though they were worse for wear and split up the side they still annoyingly clung to my legs and affected my stride.

"Run Rulie … Run! Head for the trees!"

"Not without you and Damsie," he cried refusing to do as I ordered.

"Blast you Boy!" I grabbed the scruff of his neck and nearly threw him up onto a short pile of boulders that appeared to be our only form of sanctuary close at hand. "You should have done as Torm and I told you!"

"I promised the old 'un that I'd take care of ye."

I looked at my would-be hero and could only see a small boy so thin his breast bone showed through his leather jerkin. When he pulled a knife with a blade no bigger than one that I used to snip yarn with I nearly cried. But I also determined I would not be what got this boy killed. I pulled my axe off my belt then told Rulie, "Take your sister."

"No Lady, you keep her. I might need to run and lead 'em off ye."

The very audacity of that statement snatched the breath from my lungs. But there was no longer time to berate him and try to change his mind. A gator had reached the base of our small mound and was making its way up.

I gave the cry of the woodsman and brought the axe down onto its head. I felt it all the way up my arm – like striking ironwood or finding a piece of petrified wood hiding in the heart of a log. Unfortunately though the gator also felt it, he hadn't suffered a death blow. It did however cause it to fall back. This only meant that one of its cohorts tried to take its place.

I swung and swung but all I could do was keep the animals at bay. And I was tiring. I lost my balance, Damsie screamed and I would have fallen if Rulie had not grabbed my waist band. I heard another seam giving and felt myself nearly ready to lose my dignity when thunder rent the air and the gator nearest me developed a red blossom where its foreleg had been but a moment before.

And with that the thunder rolled on and on. Rulie nearly hid in what was left of my skirts and whimpered, "Them's boomsticks!"

"Yes they are," I responded, nearly refusing to believe my eyes when steeds baring the livery of Linderhall ringed our refuge with their riders putting a period to the gators that had threatened us. Then those that had escaped the bloodbath disappeared under the waters and swam away as fast as they had attacked.

A man jumped from a steed that I well recognized and ran to me and took me so forcefully in his arms my feet left the ground. Kisses rained down on me and strangely enough I didn't mind at all. Then he stopped and looked at me as if he'd never get tired of looking.

"Do you know Sheriff? I believe for once I am not at all averse to you being forever underfoot."


	102. Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Suddenly the Sheriff yelped and I realized that Rulie had kicked his shin. I grabbed the boy before he could do any further damage. "Easy Rulie … he is one of the good 'uns."

"But he's the Linder!"

The Sheriff made such a horrified face and then snapped, "I, by God, am not!" followed by a string of curses saying what he'd do if he ever inherited said title that even Rulie was impressed.

"Well, that tells it don't it. But he's still an older."

That added to the look on the Sheriff's face to such an extent that I dissolved into a fit of the giggles and sat down just managing not to squash Damsie. "Oh … oh …. Ddddear."

Rulie, ever practical called, "Hela! Kizzie! Best get over here. The Lady is being a girl. Or at least sumpin' close to it."

It took less time than it should have for introductions to be made though the explanations had to wait. The Sheriff kept looking at me and saying, "They'll never believe it. Not for all the imports from across the 'Cific and 'Lantic combined. Dear Creator Above, I don't believe it."

I shook my head as he was being over familiar while placing me up on Charger. "Do not take on so Sheriff. In this heat it does your complexion no good at all."

He climbed into the saddle and for a moment looked outraged but then became so tendered it nearly melted my heart. "I've missed you Widow."

Carefully, trying to maintain what little dignity I had left after making such a spectacle of myself in his arms I said, "There have been more than a few moments when I wished for your presence as well Sheriff."

"Good. I'd feel a complete fool if I'd been the only one pining."

"Pining? Surely not. I've heard there is some ridiculous war going on. For your safety you mind should have been on that."

His arms briefly stiffened and I noticed a disquiet in the other men. "What?" I asked, all attempts at levity put aside. "Was what I said in distates?"

"No Love. And don't fly up into the boughs. I'll call you what you are and everyone else can go hang."

I sighed but it wasn't for the romance of it. "You shouldn't speak like that. It … politically …"

"I'll be demmed if I'm going to let politics get in my way."

I shook my head and Hela, riding up on a spare horse with Ropsy that was tied to one of the soldiers' mares asked, "Ye sure this 'un be the one you want this time around? He seems mighty twitchy."

Trying not to laugh I said, "Yes, his nerves do often get overset, but only because he is so overbearingly protective. I can't imagine what he would have made of some of my recent exploits."

"Most likely would have wound up on a stretcher and blessing us all out."

"Most likely," I agreed.

I was growing weary and after a moment allowed myself to be more firmly pulled back into the Sheriff's protection. The children were all distracted by their first experience on a horse and I whispered, "I will not allow them to be hurt."

"They won't be if I have to stand their protector myself."

"Truly?"

"I give you my word Leeda."

I relaxed but then asked, "Can you tell me … this war … I … I am having trouble fathoming it."

"Wasn't a war … almost was."

"Almost?"

I felt the Sheriff shudder and whispered to him, "Tell me."

"Two days back we were all set for battle. Both sides with no outcome certain. We had the might of weapons but they had the might of numbers. It was like looking at ants boiling for a mound. Then …" He shuddered again and all I could do was wait him out. "It was just after daybreak. Weapons poised on both sides. Then there was a rumbling beneath our feet. Nothing new, we'd been feeling them off and on since we'd arrived weeks back. None on the east side of the river thought anything of it, just another in a serious of curiosities. But from the west side … Dear Creator … Leeda, the wailing and screaming rose in such volume we at first thought it to be a battle cry. It disappeared Leeda … it's all gone."

"What is?" I asked fearing to hear of some new and terrible weapon found amongst the ancient ruins.

"New Paduck. It's gone. Swallowed up by the ground."

"What?!"

He tried explaining it visually and I simply could not believe it. Then he tried telling me what the Linderhall engineers had hypothesized. "When the river split it revealed an ancient graveyard of ships and war machines the likes of which hadn't been seen since the Days of Destruction. I saw it; it looked … hellish. But you can get used to anything I suppose and watching the Damned and their allies crawl through it all took the fear of the thing away and left in its wake a fear of what they might find. Most of the worry was that they'd unearth another sepulcher of disease to loose upon our world. All in the name of their dark god of course."

"Of course," I agreed quietly.

"But a strange thing began happening. All of that flotsam began to disintegrate. It was slow to start but once started nothing would stop it. Within a week the ancient debris was down to the water line. With the university scholars that have been besetting my brother moaning and groaning enough he nearly threw them in shackles to get them out from under foot."

"Your … brother?"

"I'll get to that. Let me finish this part first."

"Very well."

"That decay, though we thought it had stopped continued below the water line. What we also didn't know was how deep the decay went. Apparently New Paduck was built upon the wasteland left over from a great battle over a large city, the rubble of which was covered up by time and the meanderings of the Great River. That debris was disturbed first by the earthshaker that split the river and then by the weight of the decaying matter collapsing upon it."

"If I understand this correctly," I said working it out as he explained it to me. "The draining of the water out of some of the area, as well as the weight of the collapsing debris field accelerated what the earthshaker had started."

"You see it correctly my Dear. My very Dear."

"Oh Dear," I said, unsure of the feelings that he was causing.

"Too much? Too soon?"

"It is not that precisely. I just can't …absorb …"

"I'm a fool. You've been traumatized …"

"Shhhh. It is not so bad as all that. The children have been amazingly helpful. There is just much to tell you. And there is much I need to hear. And I would prefer for the rest of it for us to have … privacy."

"I accede to that Widow … Leeda … just tell me there is still hope for my suit."

"You do not need to play a drama troupe act Sheriff. In all honesty …" I stopped to clear my throat. "In all honesty Sheriff there is not chance of anyone having hope besides you. But I cannot … not in front of …"

"Shhhh. Hope is all I needed. I can live with the waiting."

"Very well," I said grateful he was more in control of his intensity. "Tell me how you were so miraculously at hand."

"We were taking a looksee to ascertain whether the Damned had additional forces in reserve. At the same time James bid me to survey the river enough to let us sketch in how far downriver the debris stretched."

"James? I … I must know. Is Tomas …?"

"Tomas is still The Linder."

I was concerned at the frost I heard in his voice. "Sheriff?"

The Sheriff shook his head briefly. "James and I have … reconciled if you wish to call it that. But Tomas … he's … dammit. He's the one that started this war."

"What?!"

"Aye. None of us have been able to talk sense to him since he took the notion. He … he blames himself for your death."

"But I'm not dead."

"No, Thank all that's Holy. But … but the his own brush with death, then finding such a rift in the family … though … I suppose you must know some of it."

"Do … you speak of Ronald Nealy?"

"Aye," he said and I could hear the click as he swallowed.

"Did he live or die of his wounds?"

"He lived. He's mad as a fungus vapper though. I'd almost wish him sanity so he could understand the fate his choice has brought him to but … but for his mother and sisters …"

"Let it go Darren. Don't carry such a burden."

"You called me Darren."

"For this I will. And for the answer to this question also … what … what of Tosha?"

"We buried her a few days after the siege."

"Poor Chancellor."

"She redeemed herself you know." At my silence he explained, "She was barely conscious, in truth would not have lived much longer. Then a borderlander came through the window where the family was hold up. From somewhere she found the strength to throw herself across James' back. She took a knife meant for him. She died almost instantly but with such a look of peace on her face that James …" He cleared his throat. "It was agreed that wish most of the participants dead that her calumny would not be recorded. Unless you object."

"No. Whatever beset Tosha … she's gone to her Judgment. I leave it in God's hands."

"My sweet Leeda."

I felt my face heat up and was grateful that it was dark enough under the trees that no one could see it.

I had many more questions as I am sure the Sheriff had for me but there were riders coming towards us. It took only a moment to ascertain they were sent to meet us and add their protection and consequence to our arrival. It appears that we were to be given the royal treatment.


	103. Chapter 102

Chapter 102

"This is beyond ridiculous," I muttered in agitation at the excess show of status given to me. "Make them stop."

The Sheriff did his best to shield me but with little success. "I would if I could but this is Tomas' show."

"What do you mean show?"

"You'll see."

And unfortunately I did. I shan't record it beyond saying that I was welcomed back to the fold with great ceremony, stood upon the dais like a fat pig at the fair, made much of a fuss over, and then put on display while The Linder and Guardian of Tentuckia – in full regalia no less – told everyone present that God had shown our land great favor. He'd defeated our dark enemies, sending to a judgment no one could fail to understand, saved the goods of the merchants so that no one need suffer from lack that the destruction would have brought, and in the end even delivered me into the hands of one of the land's greatest heroes. The Sheriff snorted so loudly at that last bit that not even Tomas could have failed to have heard it even had his ears been stuck full of river mud.

Right when he was in danger of getting smacked with cushions by both the Sheriff and I The Linder finally found the good sense to end the drama play and hustled us all off to a warehouse that had been converted for his use.

I had thought to escape and pen a letter to Nat letting him know my fate but it was not to be to my great frustration. I was looking around for the children and becoming agitated when Rulie popped up from beneath the cushioned divan that The Linder had just sat upon … truthfully almost from between Tomas' legs … and informed me, "Just so you know Lady, they've got food here the likes of which I've never seen and I'm not too sure it bain't be poisoned. Though the girls be pleased to be getting all washed up, and primped like brides with new clothes and all."

"Oh really … and were you to be 'washed up and gotten new clothes' as well?"

"Welllll …"

"Deep subject sprat. Now you listen hear. I have not been saved by you upon numerous occasions only to lose my chance at repaying you. You will go with …" I looked around and a rather formidable maid stepped forward.

"My name's Emer if it pleases the Widow."

"Hmmm. As long as your name pleases you that is all I care about on that end. However, Rulie here … may need a bit of encouragement to clean all his cracks and crevices."

"Got a ton of brothers m'self Widow. M'brother Chaucey is a good 'un and likes to help with the boys what are too old for nursemaids. Rulie here, he's no baby so Chaucey said he'd help him find his way about."

Rulie looked at me then Emer with some consideration but Emer sealed the deal when she said, "And after they get all cleaned up I've been instructed to make sure they get custard and milk both. Boys need custard and milk so they can get along with the job of being boys. Or so says m'mother who has been blessed with more than her fair share of 'em."

I couldn't even move for fear of putting my status as risk in front of such a large and prestigious company. The Sheriff came to my rescue by saying to the maid, "Sensible girl. Boys do indeed need custard and milk. Lots of custard and milk. But only after they are clean or they won't be able to truly enjoy the taste of it."

"Wellllll," drawled Rulie. "I b'lieve I'd best be going to see how Ropsy and the others are getting along. Don't want 'em to take on and worry none. I'll be sure and tell 'em about that …" Leaning over to me he asked, "Does custard and milk taste as good as sun lizards?"

I just managed to squeak out, "Even better."

"Oh now you're telling stories."

"Nope. Upon my word."

Rulie crawled out and consented to investigate my statement – after a thorough cleaning – and after he'd left the room a soldier stepped forward and said to the Sheriff, "My apologies Sir. He's as nimble as a tree rat and as hard to catch as a hopped up jackthumper."

Putting some authority into my words I said, "Be gentle with them. They truly did save me when they had no reason to and I will not see them repaid with darkness."

The soldier nodded and then saluted the Sheriff before quickly hurrying after the retreating back of the maid.

"Really my Dear. No reason to? What of your … status? What of the great reward that The Linder himself underwrote?"

I turned to the speaker and it was Mrs. VanBuren Jr. The look on my face was not one of polite disinterest in her comment and the senior Mrs. VanBuren realized her daughter in law had made a grave error in direction.

Pointedly I told her, "Not everyone is so avaricious that they'd go looking for reward before doing a good deed."

There was a collective gasp in the room and then I turned coldly from the two women to stare at The Linder who had said nothing to me directly as of yet. He was looking quite pale, as if he was ill. Carefully I asked, "There has been no time for the Sheriff to apprise me of most of the family's health. Are you and the others …?"

Gruffly he said, "We've suffered some losses, painful losses."

"Yes, I heard of Tosha's bravery … and Ronald Nealy's illness that has taken him from company."

Surprised at my wording when I could have shattered his political hold he nodded and said, "Then you've heard the worst of it."

Suddenly he leapt to his feet. "Out! Clear the room. I'll not wait another moment to … to …"

The Sheriff went to his brother in an attempt to calm him and I saw James rush in from where he had been standing out of my line of sight. The room was soon emptied and silence fell. And then The Linder fell … at my feet.

"My Dear … I'm … I'm … sorry."

Shocked almost to stupefaction I fell back. "Stop. Enough. Stand up! You are The Linder and the Guardian of Tentuckia!" I looked at The Sheriff and Chancellor and demanded. "Get him up!"

Hesitantly they approached him but then a word I'd never thought to hear from such a man spilled from his lips. "F … ffff … forgive me."

"What?" I asked caught between so many emotions that I could barely stand it.

"Forgive me Leeda."

I looked helplessly for some assistance then realized something. Carefully, trying to not overset the man further I said, "It is not my forgiveness you need, but your own. Now enough of this. What will Wendolyn say? And while we are on the subject, please tell how she is. I've scarcely dared to ask."

Ignoring my later question he said, "You … you don't forgive me?"

"For what?" I asked shaking my head. "For a momentary failure of clarity brought on by a series of unfortunate events? If you need it you have it though after my initial flash of anger followed by a better understand of what happened I've scarcely thought of it. Your sister didn't mean to poison you. Certainly you would never have willingly ingested such a substance on your own. In the process being torn in two by …" I stopped, unwilling to say Tosha's name. "By witness of someone that was under terrible duress and being manipulated herself?"

James' voice broke in and said, "Tosha and I made peace. She was sorry. She was much … much weaker than I was aware. I should have been aware but that is my burden and my lesson to learn. In the end … my love wasn't enough to save her but her love saved me. I can … can go on with that. Live to eradicate …" He stopped but I understood.

I nodded to him then turned to the Sheriff. "Come. Tell your brother …"

"Tell him what? That he was a complete and total ass? I've been telling him that my whole life. He hasn't listened up to this point."

"No," I said in some exasperation. "Tell him that nothing that happened irreparably broke any of us."

"Didn't it?"

"No it didn't and if you must know I'm all the stronger for it."

The Linder chuckled sadly and muttered, "God help us all."

"Best be glad He does because left to our own devices, apparently not even our status and supposedly inherited capabilities can stop us mucking our lives up. Now truly, let us get passed this and tell me how the rest of the family is."

It took a while and I suspect I will always maintain some reserve where Tomas Linder, Guardian of Tentuckia is concerned, but for the Sheriff's sake I made it easier for us to move along to the next part than I might have been inclined to when I first returned to Linderhall.


	104. Chapter 103 - The End & Epilogue

Chapter 103

Having dined on a feast of facts I thought I had reached my limit but yet hesitated to say such because I knew it would mean leaving the Sheriff's presence. It was then that The Linder decided to discombobulate me one more time.

"Leeda … I need your input."

"On what?"

"On the terms of surrender."

"I … I beg your pardon?" I asked, sure that I must have heard him wrong.

The Sheriff snapped, "Honestly Tomas, she's had enough. Leave her be."

Tomas shook his head sadly. "I would if I could … and you can lay this at my feet for blame as I spoke hastily."

Fear gripped me and putting out my hand I said, "Stop. Just explain it to me. In words of as few syllables as possible if you please. My brain is about to pop."

"It was the Convention of War convened by the Great Council. There was some talk that I was out to subjugate the Borderlands so that I might … hmmm …"

"They thought you were going to annex a portion of the Borderlands and upset the delicate political balance we all exist under."

The Linder nodded. "Very good. You see it."

"A blind buffalo with three legs could see it. And having been exposed to some of those people during my first marriage some of them are akin to such an animal. Few of them have even travelled more than a few feet, if that, into the Borderlands. They have no idea of the …"

James broke in and said, "We tried to explain it. Darren even brought witnesses and proof but … they'd insisted on Tomas being present and he still wasn't at his best."

Tomas said, "You're being too kind James. I should never have been let out of the nursery I was locked in at that point."

"And you said?"

He sighed and his brothers looked away trying to not witness his shame. "Among other things I said they were a bunch of cowards and didn't seem able to see that if it could happen to someone of your status it could happen to someone of theirs."

"And exactly how did you walk out of the room without someone assassinating you?!"

"It wasn't easy. It might have happened if Darren hadn't been there was an entire unit of the Guards. Then word got around. Gossip had it that the war was over you … er …"

"Oh for the love of …" I groaned and felt ill. "Do not say it. Do not. I may be a stronger person than I was but there are still some things that could very well overset my stomach to such a degree …"

"So Darren so kindly explained to me once he'd gotten wind of the rumors."

Slowly I turned to the Sheriff and asked, "Was that the reason for your … warm … reception when you …"

I got no further before The Sheriff had gathered me up and hauled me out of the room. "I will not be thwarted by my own idiot brother. I won't."

"Oh do put me down before someone sees."

"I don't care. Now you listen to me Leeda Harper Linder. If it takes me until the sun sets for the last time I will prove to you that my feelings have nothing whatsoever to do with anything but you being you and me being me."

There was a pause in the proceedings that I simply will not share but afterwards we returned to the Sheriff's brothers' company and The Linder, after giving us both an appraising look, explained that in order to right the political mess that had been made, now that I'd returned I was to have a say in the terms of surrender.

"Preposterous. What have I to say about such a thing? I wasn't even dead."

"Yes m'dear and I am more thankful of that than I can express."

"But it makes no sense!"

"Nevertheless our status must be brought forward and an end put to this situation so the whole of Tentuckia can move forward."

I could have cried out of frustration but then for some reason I thought of Old Solomon's "ghost." I thought of the old priests of Nat's order and the things they'd told me. I thought of the lessons Nat have given me and the books I'd read at the town library. Then I started asking questions.

"How many survivors?"

"What?"

"Survivors? How many? The darkfriars … priests of the damned … whatever they are calling themselves these days. How many survived the New Paduck tragedy?"

"You call it a tragedy?"

"Tragedy, coincidence, luck, blessing … people will call it whatever they will for decades to come. But if we are to write the history books as the victors, lets make sure that it is a truthful history and with as good a resolution as we can create."

The brothers three looked at one another. It was the Sheriff who said, "The destruction of New Paduck is complete. We've found no survivors and we've honestly looked. It's been difficult to even find any bodies. The entire area simply liquefied and swallowed everything. You have to dig down over six feet to find the first evidence that NP even existed."

"By all that's Holy."

James nodded. "Aye. But there are enough certificated witnesses – academics, church fellows, and military – from this side of the river that we cannot be accused of covering up what really happened."

"Very well, but you've all heard the story of the original darkfriars."

"You mean are there enough left to rebuild?"

"Yes."

James shook his head. "We've no evidence of it."

"You should give it some more time. Watch carefully. The sect was dying but they've spread out from the borderlands enough that … it could still be possible."

The Sheriff nodded, "We are going through all the evidence left by Ceena and Tonya, as well as what we are learning by interrogating others that have been found connected to the Damned, and an investigation is underway."

"But don't let it turn into a witch hunt. It would be said to turn into the very thing we are fighting against."

The Linder steepled his fingers and asked me, "What boon will you ask for your kidnapping?"

"Boon? For myself none, I have no need for such. However, there are children that need to be given a choice – a viable one – that need access to education and training so that they can survive and prosper in the new world they are going to be faced with. There are children like Damsie – the child you saw me carrying who is Rulie's twin – that will never be able to fully function without some type of assistance. There are children being begatted that need protection from death at the hands of those who would kill … perhaps kill and eat … them simply because they aren't free enough of the curses left over from the Days of Destruction."

"You set no small task … and one that would bankrupt Tentuckia if we tried."

"We can't do it on our own. I suggest we enlist the Church. There are sects that would take these children in and care for them if no one else can be found. I know of the whereabouts of a sect of the Compassionate that even have some experience with dealing with the behavior of the Damned who might even help to spearhead some of this along the river. Torm and Kizzie – the two oldest that came in with me – might even have some ideas on how to proceed."

"But they're …"

"Careful Linder … your status is showing."

After a moment The Linder inclined his head. "So it is. But these are not the conditions of surrender and that we must start with."

Without hesitation is said, "Complete and total unconditional surrender."

All three me stopped and sat up. "What? You expected me to beg for mercy? No. The darkfriars, priests of the damned, all of them … it must stop and it must stop here and now. Their way of life is abhorrent. The belief system deranged. Curses are blessings and blessings are curses. The way they live they could start a plague of unimaginable proportions and none of us would be safe from it."

James looked at the Linder and at the Sheriff. "There is some legal basis for that last … we could take it before the Convention and with reasonable proof we could act on behalf of …"

The discussion went on well into the night. I must have fallen asleep at some point before the next thing I remember is hearing Nat's voice. "Has she seen a doctor?"

"I was hoping that you would be the one to broach that subject with her."

"Oh ho … soon to be family you may be but you'll need to toughen up if you wish to have Leeda do your bidding."

"All I wish is that she let me do hers for the rest of my days."

Nat snorted. "You've got it bad my son. Very, very bad."

"Whatever it is I hope there is no cure."

Barely able to swallow my throat was so dry I muttered, "I simply must find some way to exercise that romanticism out of you. If anyone were to hear the Sheriff of Tentuckia talking such nonsense …" A cup quickly came to my lips and a sipped gratefully.

"No one but you – and perhaps occasionally your cousin here as it is a delight to actually find something that flusters the man – will hear it. I do have some concern for my consequence you know." I heard the humor of his tone but also concern.

"I'm fine. But oh Nat, I have such a lot to tell you. So much to tell you both. The world is such a strange and wondrous place. Both bigger and smaller than I ever thought. So many consequences that aren't consequences but fulfillment of destinies. And … oh, there really isn't a place that The Light doesn't reach."

In due time Leeda had told all her tale with both men wondering at it, each one having their own ideas of how and why the events took place and were resolved. They also wondered at the changes in Leeda herself. On the surface she was the same but there was also a depth to her that was new … one that always sought a better understanding of things but also learned that sometimes she simply had to accept and have faith even when she didn't understand.

The rest of the tale has been recorded something like this. Nat lived to be a ripe old age, eventually moving from the university to Linderhall where Leeda could look after him when he wasn't studying the old texts of the Linderhall Library and other written artifacts brought in for him by the many Linder children that populated the grounds.

Marta continued to fail in health and mental faculties but was nursed by Alice, who after Marta's death, returned briefly to Linderhall to complete her training under Leeda and the new Linderhall Housekeeper, the redoubtable Mrs. Dargen who turned out to be less of a dragon once Leeda came to know her. In fact they became friends for many years as Leeda continued to prefer Below Stairs to the drawing rooms of Linderhall.

April was reunited with a young man her father had sent packing, both more mature and ready for the challenges they faced since they came from far different status levels and backgrounds … the young man being a half-begat of the tribe that had stolen April in her childhood. April eventually moved to a farm gifted to her new husband by the Linder brothers and set up her own housekeeping and gave birth to a son before catching a plague and losing her ability to begat successfully. She was depressed for a time until her husband suggested that they take in and raise some of the Borderlander children whose families turned them out. It was a success and when eventually death found April – as it must find us all eventually – her marker was carved simply with the word "Mother" and she numbered dozens of children as those she'd loved and helped to raise.

The younger sisters likewise grew up and carried on with life but it was to April they often returned to as she'd been a second mother to them all along.

Chell Linder retired from public life for the remainder of her years. Her husband outlived his addiction but never lost the weakness of character that caused it. She distanced herself from his antics when she could but her brothers were called often to step in and clean up a mess that threatened her. She tried to leave him numerous times but then fell for his pleas that he would change. He never did. Two days before their oldest child attained their majority the man became drunk and fell into a pond on their property. It was the middle of winter and it was a while before he was missed. Eventually he was found but not a one could be found that expressed great enthusiasm for it. Pneumonia set in and eventually Chell finally found peace that she couldn't while the man still lived. She never remarried but had no regrets and found solace in quietly helping behind the scenes of the local home for women looking to start a new and productive life.

The Borderlander children that had saved Leeda were all given a solid education and training and were encouraged to seek their fortune and better their lot from their beginnings. Torm, Kizzie, Hela, and Ropsy remained together to the end of their days, sharing in raising Hela and Rospy's begats. Some found it unusual but others took it as an example and years later you could still find communal homes where those formerly called Damned would join with a begetting couple to co-parent and share in the responsibilities of providing for and loving special children.

Damsie did not live to adulthood but she lived many more years than she was ever expected to. When she was laid to rest the entire Linder family agreed that her headstone would read "Damsie Linder, Our Small Wonder." Her brother Rulie became Nat's apprentice and after some years became a noted author in his own right, translating – and sometimes embellishing – stories from the ancients into the prose favored by children and young people of his era.

James Linder eventually remarried to a young woman introduced to him by his half brother. He and his new bride were happy and both uninterested in anymore drama than was necessary. Doctor Cummins and his wife continued on as The Linder's personal physician, one of their sons eventually succeeding in that position. Tomas and Gwendolyn continued in a monogamous marriage despite the pressure for Tomas to take up the practice of multiple wives as predecessors had. Tomas however was adamant in his refusal as was several of Linders who came after him, all of them to a man stating vehemently that one wife was more than enough to keep any sane man busy.

Leeda and Darren married and shared many years together and as the succession was secured by Tomas and Gwendolyn's rather large brood they never had to worry about the burden of the politics of, as Darren put it, "being in line for the throne." Was Leeda and Darren's life perfect? No, no more than anyone's life is perfect. They were two strong-willed people with the added burden of a high status and lots of responsibilities. It also took Leeda some time to overcome the fears she'd learn to have in her first marriage, but Darren was as patient as he had promised and with time their private times flourished and they begat a respectable sized brood of their own who could – if they were being honest – get into enough scrapes to make the mischief of their many cousins pale in comparison. There were times when they were out of charity with each other but it only made those times that they weren't even sweeter.

The End


End file.
